The major mining companies, Aston Resources, Idemitsu, Coalworks Limited and Whitehaven Coal all showcased the region’s vast opportunities and current and planned operations to industry investers and stakeholders.

It is expected production in the area will increase from about 6 million tonnes per annum currently to 50 million tonnes by 2020.

Aston Resources’ Maules Creek project is fast approaching construction stage. Shenhua’s Watermark project has just entered the mine plan assessment stage, and BHP Billiton continue apace with exploration at the Caroona Coal Project.

Aston chief executive Todd Hannigan said the company planned to begin construction of its Maules Creek open cut coal mine by the end of the year and produce 10.8 million tonnes of coal within its first three years of production.

He said about 90 per cent of the final engineering work would be completed by June and once approval was granted Aston should be able to mobilise and commence full construction in the early part of 2012.

Full operational capacity at Maules Creek of the coal reserve is about 356 million tonnes, with a projected mine life of more than 30 years.

But it was Coalworks’ proposed Vickery South project, which met with some opposition when Narrabri shire councillor Ken Bates and Glenn Bailey, from the Namoi Catchment Management Authority, fronted the

conference.

Cr Bates’s concerns relate to the proposed rail loop at Emerald Hill and an elevated rail across the floodplain, which they believe could cause floodwater problems for Boggabri.

“The impacts on Boggabri along with that floodwater is a great concern to me,” he said.

“I know that there’s a hell of a lot of water flow that comes down in high flow times and around the back of Emerald Hill that flows into Dead Man’s Gully at Boggabri.”

Cr Bates also raised the loss of “good productive farming land, especially around Emerald Hill”, while Mr Bailey was concerned the affected properties were located in a “very significant” grassland area and “should not be grazed at all”.

However Coalworks operations manager Geoff Kidd said detailed studies were under way and the plan would be developed in accordance with feedback from the studies.

“I can’t give you any absolute answers because it’s too early,” Mr Kidd said.

“But we’re happy to discuss with anybody in the area, the effects or the knowledge of flooding through that area.”