18 December 2024

Narrabri Coal marks land rehabilitation achievement

Whitehaven Coal’s Narrabri underground mine has reached a major environmental milestone, successfully rehabilitating all disturbed land in its Northern Longwall mining area – amounting to 193 hectares of rehabilitation in total, and bringing the rehabilitation completion to more than 95% of all areas that are available for rehabilitation. This achievement marks a significant step in Whitehaven’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

Disturbance of the surface areas began at commencement of the underground mining operations in 2012, with progressive rehabilitation commencing as areas became available in the following years. The remaining 5% of surface disturbance yet to be rehabilitated is required for mine infrastructure and vehicle access and will be rehabilitated once mining activities are complete.

The rehabilitation efforts have prepared the land for its post-mining uses, including agricultural grazing and native ecosystem restoration. These outcomes align with the mine’s approved Rehabilitation Management Plan, designed to ensure the land’s safety, stability, and compatibility with the surrounding landscape.

Narrabri Mine’s Surface Operations Manager, Ashley Howland, said this achievement is an important milestone that reflects Narrabri’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

“Progressive rehabilitation is an integral part of the life cycle of our mines as we transition land from its temporary use for mining to its post-mining use,” Ashley added.

“Extensive planning, effort, and resources have gone into restoring the land to its pre-mining state. From the outset, our goal has been to ensure the areas impacted by mining operations are returned to an environmentally sustainable and functional condition, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved.

“The successful rehabilitation of the Northern Longwall mining area is the result of many years of hard work by our Surface Civil team, in close collaboration with our Environmental team and primary partner, KT Civil Group. Their commitment to excellence, safety, and environmental stewardship has been critical at every stage of the rehabilitation process, and I thank them for their efforts.”

The rehabilitated land will continue to be monitored to ensure it meets regulatory requirements, including safety, stability, effective drainage, and functionality that aligns with or improves upon the surrounding landscape.

With the Northern Longwall area now restored, Narrabri’s Rehabilitation and Surface Civil teams have now commenced progressive rehabilitation above the current underground mining area – Longwall 203. This progressive approach will enable the team to complete rehabilitation activities directly behind the current longwall panel surface disturbance.

For more information about Whitehaven’s approach to rehabilitation and closure, please refer to our 2024 Sustainability Report.

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