The new terminal will add to the 30Mtpa capacity from the first stage of the terminal (now in operation) and will keep a construction workforce of up to 600 busy for the next two years, NCIG chairman Michael Egan said.

The announcement also means that coal export capacity at Newcastle is on track to increase to more than 180Mtpa by 2013, with potential for further expansion.

“The board has given the immediate go-ahead for the construction of the second stage of the terminal to meet the export demands for coal from mines already in production, or about to start,” Egan said.

The next stage of works on the 136-hectare site includes a new rail unloading facility and rail sidings, an additional stacker/reclaimer and stockyards, additional conveyors and sample stations and an additional shiploader.

Egan said for every person working on the construction site, another two are working in engineering, electrical and mechanical workshops fabricating elements of the terminal.

“I’ve no doubt that one of the reasons this region weathered the effects of the global financial crisis so well is because of this massive infrastructure effort, and that flow-on effect is set to continue for the next two to three years,” he said.

Funding for the expansion has built on the initial financing structure established in late 2007 and is supported by long-term throughput contracts.

The partners in the project include BHP Billiton (through Hunter Valley Energy Coal), Peabody Energy, Centennial Coal, Donaldson Coal, Yancoal and Whitehaven Coal.