The state planning department has approved plans for a controversial fourth coal loader at Kooragang.
The Port Waratah Coal Services proposal could lift port exports by up to 70-million tonnes a year, and will cost $4.8-billion.
The Planning Assessment Commission concluded that the proposal meets key environmental criteria, including a range of offset strategies.
Despite a softening in the demand for coal, the department found the proposal is justified, as a strategic infrastructure development.
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