Plans to continue mining at Rio Tinto’s Mount Thorley and Warkworth mines have been given the green light.
The Planning Assessment Commission has recommended the coal mine expansion project be approved, subject to a number of strict environmental conditions.
The PAC found the benefits of the project outweighs its impacts.
Two almost identical applications had previously been rejected in the Land and Environment Court
Residents of the small village of Bulga had been fighting the proposal, claiming it would have dire environmental consequences.
The expansion will secure the jobs of more than 1300 people, currently employed at the mines.
Final approval lies with Planning New South Wales.
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