Weak coal prices are being blamed for the closure of Whitehaven Coal’s Sunnyside mine, west of Gunnedah.
The company says it will shut down indefinitely, with workers to be offered jobs at its other sites.
Meantime, the controversial proposal to expand the Whitehaven Maules Creek mine has been given the tick of approval by the state government’s Planning Assessment Commission.
The project involves the extraction of up to 13-million tonnes of coal per year, for 21 years.
The commission has imposed a number of conditions on the development, including air quality monitoring and noise limits.
The area runs directly through the Leard State Forest and has been the subject of multiple protests.
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