PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Coal miner Australian Pacific Coal on Wednesday told shareholders that it is considering an appeal of New South Wales’ Independent Planning Commission's (IPC’s) decision not to extend the mine life of the Dartbook operation.
The IPC in August green-lit the restart of the mothballed Dartbrook coal mine, in the Upper Hunter region, but took the decision not to extend the mine life by the requested five years, meaning that the project would only be allowed to run until December 2022.
Australian Pacific on Wednesday said that the IPC’s determination came despite the Department of Planning and Environment advising the agency that the mine life extension was "acceptable", and that the mine life extension was required to justify the capital expenditure required to recommission the operation.
Australian Pacific has a three-month period in which to appeal the IPC ruling in the New South Wales Land and Environmental Court.
The period of lodgment will expire on November 8.