Fellow Chinese company Yanzhou, which is a major shareholder of Yancoal, is a world leader in longwall top coal caving technology.

The China Stone project, which lies 300km to the west of Mackay, would use longwall mining for the lower seams below the northern and southern end of the open cut mining area, according to specialist environmental consulting company Hansen Bailey.

The environmental impact statement for the project, which will be lodged with the Department of Environment, will include an assessment of the impacts and mitigation for any subsidence of natural features after it was issued terms of reference in January.

Meijin local subsidiary Macmines Austasia anticipates mine construction will begin in 2015.

First open cut coal production is scheduled to commence in 2017 and first longwall coal production is scheduled to commence in 2019.

The mine life will be in excess of 40 years.

The coal seams dip to the west and mining will generally progress downdip in an east-west direction.

Overburden removal for the open cut mine will involve the use of multiple draglines and truck and shovel prestripping.

In order to achieve the production rate a number of mining pits will be active at any point in time.

Initial overburden will be stored in out-of-pit overburden emplacement areas to the east of the open cut mining area.

Once the open cut pits have been developed, overburden will be placed in-pit.

In-pit crushers and overburden conveyors are also being considered as an option to minimise truck haulage.

The overburden emplacement areas will be rehabilitated progressively as the mine develops using proven rehabilitation techniques.

Coal from the open cut pits will be mined with excavators, surface miners and rope shovels.

Coal will be transported from the pits by haul trucks and/or conveyors.

It will be washed and processed onsite and product coal will be transported from site by rail.

A portion of the coal washery rejects may also be used as fuel for an onsite power station.

Abbot Point is the preferred coal terminal for export.

MacMines will seek to utilise additional capacity in accordance with the Queensland government’s Abbot Point coal terminal development program.