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“What the mayor doesn’t understand is that right now the NSW government is looking at options and planning to ensure that jobs are going to be secure in the area and we will be keeping the lights on,” Mr Toole told the Lithgow Mercury.

“And that will ultimately will see Springvale and the power station continuing to operate.”

The challenge in the Land and Environment Court questioning the validity of Springvale Mine’s 2015 approval has prompted a political stoush between Lithgow’s local, state and federal representatives.

Centennial applied to the Land and Environment Court on Monday, September 18, to expedite the hearing to before October, saying that further delaying the court orders would place Centennials plans to construct a water treatment facility at “significant risk”. The court set hearing dates for October 16 and 17.

A spokesperson for Centennial said the company is providing evidence to the Land and Environment Court to support its request for extra time to achieve the planning consent regulations.

“Ultimately the Court will decide not if but when Springvale’s consent will become invalid,” she said.

In a media release sent out on Tuesday, September 19, Centennial Coal called on the state government to provide ‘certainty’ for the mine and water  its treatment facility.

Lithgow Mayor Stephen Lesslie told ABC Central West on Wednesday that the council would “bypass all the local representatives” and organise a meeting with Gladys Berejiklian to secure such certainty.

“They're not helping us, they're not working with us," Cr Lesslie said.

"The federal member [Andrew Gee] is just making sleepy comments in the local press and the state member [Paul Toole] is just no response at all.”

Mr Lesslie told the Lithgow Mercury that while he believed the mine was not at significant risk of closure the state government needed to make a public announcement on the matter.

“Nonetheless, those workers do read the newspapers and do hear what is happening, this is why we are wanting a straight statement from the government,” he said.

“They should step up and intervene, or at least state regardless of the court case that Springvale and employees at Springvale will be secure with their jobs.”

State member Paul Toole said he had already commented on the possibility of using the state’s intervention powers to secure the future of Point Piper Power Station and the mine a week ago.

“I have raised these matters at a cabinet level, and whilst we are waiting on the outcome of a court case, there are a number of options that are available to the government. One of them is emergency powers to put a stay of execution to actually keep the power station. But we are not only talking about the power station, we are talking about the coalminers in that area...” Mr Toole told The Australian in an article published on September 14.

Member for Calare Andrew Gee agreed that the mine was a state government issue.

“I think it's good that Mayor Stephen Lesslie is attempting to mend fences with the local mining community after being criticised by the Springvale branch of the CFMEU for not supporting miners and their families. He needs to.”