Newcastle News

APPROVAL GRANTED FOR DARTBROOK MINE TO RESTART OPERATIONS

A controversial coal mine in the Hunter Valley has been given the green light to re-open by the state’s Independent Planning Commission.

The Dartbrook mine, south of Aberdeen, was placed into care and maintenance in late 2006 due to tough market conditions and a series of operational difficulties.

It followed a tumultuous 12-year period, in which three people were killed in industrial incidents at the site.

On Friday, the Independent Planning Commission ruled the mine’s owner, Australia Pacific Coal, could resume operations using bord-and-pillar methods.

However, it refused an application to extend the mine’s approval for an additional five-years beyond the current December 2022 end date.

“A five-year extension would not be in accordance with the principles of ecologically sustainable development or inter-generational equity; and, as such, is not in the public interest,” read a statement from IPC.

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