Proposal

LakeCoal Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of LDO Coal Pty Ltd) has submitted an application to consolidate and replace existing approvals for the Chain Valley Coal Mine, effectively securing employment for the operation’s 120 employees.

The application has been made under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and would extend the life of the mine by 21 years to 2030.

The Chain Valley Coal Project will enable the continuation of underground mining operations at the Chain Valley Mine within the area covered by existing mining leases. The planned mining areas are located in the Swansea-North Entrance Mine Subsidence District.

The mine has been in operation since August 1960, with LDO Coal assuming ownership in December 2009 from Peabody Energy Australia.

The development application will secure the future of the Chain Valley operations and continue the mine's contribution to employment, the economy and the local community.

The application includes a proposal to increase production from 0.75 million tonnes per year up to 1.2 million tonnes per year from the Great Northern and Fassifern Seams. Coal is extracted using the bord and pillar method, a method that is flexible in design to maximize resource recovery and to control surface subsidence in relevant areas.  

Existing surface and underground facilities would be used to service the Project, with some new facilities and modifications to existing infrastructure required to support ongoing mining activities and the proposed increase in mine production. The Coal Handling and Preparation Plant, for example, will be upgraded to increase throughput to approximately 600 tonnes per hour.

Product coal will continue to be transported by truck to the PWCS Carrington Coal Terminal and to domestic customers, including the Vales Point Power Station.

The mine is an important part of the local community, supporting more than 450 families through direct and indirect employment and a network of contractors and suppliers in the local area and throughout NSW.