It said in its sustainability report that as some of its smaller foundation mines reached the end of their lives, its business was oriented towards scaling-up larger existing operations and delivering on its key development assets, Vickery in New South Wales and Winchester South in Queensland.

"We have invested in high-quality, large-scale, long-life assets that allow the business to efficiently manage the cyclical nature of the commodities sector," it said.

"Maintaining capital discipline and a focus on productivity gains over an expanding production base will continue to drive returns for shareholders."

Whitehaven is also actively assessing and pursuing opportunities to access latent capacity in its mines through upgrades to mobile equipment as well as fixed infrastructure.

"These opportunities help us realise the full extent of the resources at our mines and enable us to do more with less," it said.

"Productivity of the coal mining industry has improved over time as equipment has become bigger and more efficient.

"We employ large equipment matched to the mining conditions at our operations."