Mining giant Peabody has announced the activation of a process to seek approval to continue its coal mine at Helensburgh in NSW through to 2044.
In a statement, the company said it had submitted its scoping report for Stage 2 of the Metropolitan Continuation Project in the Illawarra region.
This marked the formal start of the State Significant Development (SSD) approval pathway to continue operations at Metropolitan Mine in Helensburgh for another 18 years.
“This submission builds on the Stage 1 modification for the underground steelmaking coal operation, which seeks approval to continue mining through to 2031 and remains under assessment by the NSW Government,” Peabody said.
“The Stage 2 SSD application proposes 22 additional longwalls west of existing operations and away from the Woronora Reservoir, enabling the extraction of approximately 31mt (metric tonnes) of high-quality steelmaking coal.”
Metropolitan Mine’s General Manager James Hannigan said the Helensburgh operation had long supported Australia’s domestic steel industry in the Illawarra region, while also supplying customers overseas.
“If approved, Stage 2 would allow Metropolitan to continue being an essential supplier to domestic steelmaking, with more than 40 percent of our product today servicing Australia’s steel industry. ” Mr Hannigan said.
“It would also safeguard mining jobs and uphold the rigorous safety and environmental standards we remain committed to.”
The Metropolitan Mine supports around 400 local jobs and 450 suppliers and has delivered more than $385 million in royalty payments to the NSW Government.
Peabody said the Metropolitan Continuation Project would help preserve these economic benefits.
“Metropolitan operates approximately 500 metres below the surface and has one of the most conservative longwall mining layouts in Australia,” it said.
“The mine uses narrow extraction panels and wide permanent pillars to reduce subsidence effects at the surface.”
Peabody operates in more than 25 countries on six continents.
More details on the Metropolitan Continuation Project and the scoping report are available here
