Core construction activities at the mine site are expected to begin in 2021 with mining starting as soon as construction is complete, State Mines Minister Anthony Lynham said in the statement without providing details on when that would be.
Olive Downs will be Queensland’s third-largest coal mine.
Pembroke chief executive officer, Barry Tudor, said the mining leases approval were the final hurdle to beginning stage one of the project.
“We are extremely pleased to have been granted the mining leases, having consulted extensively with the local community over the past four years,” he said in a separate statement.
In its first phase, the mine is slated to churn out six million tonnes of metallurgical coal a year, doubling to 12 million tonnes a year in the second stage.
Once at full tilt, Olive Downs should produce up to 15 million tonnes of hard coking coal a year, whose quality is just below that of premium hard coals. Demand for the latter is expected to concentrate in coming year as steelmakers move to reduce pollution and cut carbon emissions.
Output will be transported by rail to Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal for export to Asian markets, particularly Japan, China, India and South Korea.
Olive Downs, which holds 838 million tonnes coal resources and 514 million tonnes of coal reserves, is expected to generate some A$5.5-billion in royalties over its mine life
