Coalpac, the Australian company which now operates both Cullen Valley and Invincible Collieries, wants to merge the operations and to construct a conveyor system to deliver coal direct to Mt Piper power station.

But Council voted unanimously to oppose the continuation of open cut mining which is part of the proposal.

The mines currently employ 105 direct employees, 20 local contractors, and over 50 local businesses as suppliers.

“A single contemporary planning approval for 21 years will enable Coalpac to continue to supply more than half of Delta Electricity’s Mt Piper power station needs which in turn generates a significant proportion of NSW electricity” Mr Leisemann said.

Specialist technical studies which have been carried out for inclusion in the Environmental Assessment include: flora and fauna, water resources, soils and land capability, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal heritage, air quality and greenhouse gas, noise and blasting, geochemistry, traffic and transport, rehabilitation and final landform, visual and lighting, social and economics, and geotechnical stability of sandstone rock formations, including pagodas.

Mr Leisemann said Coalpac has considered various mine plan options, including going underground.

These investigations have confirmed that underground mining method is not viable for the project area.