WHITEHAVEN Coal is aiming to expand one of its biggest sites in the region.
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The company has lodged a development application with the NSW Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes to expand its Narrabri Underground Coal Mine.
If approved, the expansion would allow the company to to extract coal to the south of the current mine and continue the existing southern longwall blocks into the adjacent Narrabri south exploration licence.
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It is expected the expansion would extend the existing approved underground southern longwall panels from approximately 5km to approximately 10km, facilitating the additional extraction of approximately 82 million tonnes of coal.
A Whitehaven Coal spokesperson said the plans would also mean the life of the mine would be extended from 2031 to 2044.
"The Narrabri underground is already such a big contributor to the local economy and community and this proposal means we will see those benefits extend for another decade and more," the spokesperson said.
The company's push comes after its Vickery Extension Project was approved by the NSW Independent Planning Commission earlier this year, which is expected to create up to 450 jobs during operations.
It is unknown if the Narrabri underground extension will create new jobs, but the spokesperson said it would help secure the jobs of the current 520 full-time employees at the site.
If approved, the project is expected to inject $600 million directly into the state's economy, including $317 million in direct local wages.
The spokesperson said if the extension were to be approved, the impact on the economy would continue to support local businesses and royalties to fund schools, hospitals and other State Government priorities.
The project's environmental impact statement is currently before the state government and is on public exhibition.
A decision on the project is expected to take between one to two years.