The approval will allow Gujarat NRE to mine the Wongawilli seam in the northeastern part of the Dapto-located mine.

It also allows the company to construct an underground roadway to provide access to the western portion of the Wongawilli operations.

Additional works approved will consist of the extraction of two million tonnes per annum of coal from the Bulli and Wongawilli seams for up to five years, rail transportation of coal from the mine upgrading and use of existing infrastructure at the mine and rehabilitation of the site.

The approval was granted after the NSW PAC considered the Department of Planning’s assessment report, including agency and public submissions.

Gujarat NRE executive chairman Arun Kumar Jagatramka said the approval was another milestone for the company and one more step forward towards the company’s growth plan.

In addition, Jagatramka said the recent US$100 million facility funding was great news for its stakeholders and would enable the company’s infrastructure upgrade plans for its NRE No. 1 colliery in NSW to proceed.

The upgrade will include the continuation of the coal being transported by truck to the Port Kembla coal terminal and upgrades to the existing surface facilities and infrastructure.

Jagatramka said production from the NRE No.1 and Wongawilli mines, which were considered viable for at least 30 years, were on target, with each mine targeted to produce around 3Mtpa of coal by 2015.