Public comments close soon on Hunter Valley coal mine extension

The chance to comment on a proposed extension to Rio Tinto Coal & Allied Mt Thorley Warkworth Operations ends this Friday.

The Mt Thorley Warkworth mine has been operating near Singleton for 30 years, employing thousands of workers at the mine and supporting many local businesses too.

Rio Tinto Coal & Allied has proposed a modification to the mine, which is currently on exhibition for public comment with the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure.

The modification would allow mining to occur in an additional 350m of land already owned by the mine, allowing the mine to continue operation close to current production and employment levels for another two years.

According to Rio Tinto Coal & Allied, without this modification, the mine will face a significant drop in production, putting the jobs of its 1,300 workers at risk and threatening the lifeblood of many local businesses that supply the mine.

Earlier this year, over

1,500 people signed a petition

, which was tabled in NSW Parliament, calling on the state government to save the jobs of the workers at the mine

And results of a recent survey

backed up the signatories to the petition

, with 57 percent of respondents living in the Singleton Council area supporting a previous, larger Mount Thorley-Warkworth expansion plan, while only 30 percent opposed. 

“These results show that while the project is opposed locally by some, it is supported locally by many,” NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said at the time.

Public submissions are an important part of the assessment process, and the opportunity to comment on this proposed expansion ends this Friday, November 29.

You can learn more about the project at 

, or have your say and 

 with the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.