Whitehaven coal
A contemporary rehabilitation program
The Sunnyside open-cut mine was operational from 2008 until 2012, when it was placed into care and maintenance.
The mine resumed operations in the second half of 2017 with the aim of mining the remaining coal and fully rehabilitating the site. Coal sales from the mine will effectively fund the full and final rehabilitation of the mine site, providing a contemporary example of a rehabilitation program to the local community.
| Operation | Sunnyside Mine |
| Ownership | 100% ownership |
| Commenced operations | 2008-2012; recommenced in 2017 |
| Location | 15km west of Gunnedah |
| Type of operation | Open cut coal mine |
| Operating hours | N/A |
| Production approval | 0.4 million tonnes run of mine coal per annum |
| Stage of operation | Rehabilitation |
| Workforce | 20 |
Rehabilitation
More on rehabilitation
Mining activities at Sunnyside ceased in 2019. Much of the site is already demonstrating achievement of successful ecosystem establishment (55 ha of pasture land, and 35 ha of woodland habitat).
Remaining rehabilitation at the site involves removal of the sediment dams as they are no longer needed for rehabilitation maintenance. The rest of the site is in an active state of monitoring and care-and-maintenance (landform maintenance, and pest management).
Progress
Approvals
Community
SUN-Complaint Register 2009 (3 complaints)
74.38 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2010 (3 complaints)
136.83 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2011 (3 complaints)
137.56 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2012 (2 complaints)
107.18 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2013 (8 complaints)
130.41 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2014 (0 complaint)
305.27 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2015 (0 complaint)
305.42 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2016 (1 complaint)
66.81 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2017
58.76 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2018 (1 complaint)
72.19 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2019 (0 complaint)
387.52 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2020
384.88 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2021
384.88 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2022
80.71 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2023
90.26 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2024
80.3 KBSUN-Complaint Register 2025
127.5 KB
SUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2009
1.7 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2010
2.42 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2011
3.44 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2012
4.13 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2013
3.63 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2014
2.18 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2015
833.96 KBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2016
442.34 KBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2017
190.29 KBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2018
1.98 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2019
2.01 MBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2020
824.27 KBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2021
621.29 KBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2022
622.81 KBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2023
337.31 KBSUN-CCC Meeting Minutes and Environmental Monitoring Report 2024
2.33 MBSUN-CCC Next Meeting
143.72 KB
Environmental Management, Monitoring & Compliance
SUN-Annual Review 2009-2010
4.4 MBSUN-Annual Review 2010-2011
4.17 MBSUN-Annual Review 2011-2012
8.19 MBSUN-Annual Review 2012-2013
5.08 MBSUN-Annual Review 2013-2014
4.65 MBSUN-Annual Review 2014-2015
3.35 MBSUN-Annual Review 2015-2016
2.01 MBSUN-Annual Review 2017
1.6 MBSUN-Annual Review 2018
2.85 MBSUN-Annual Review 2019
2.16 MBSUN-Annual Review 2020
10.44 MBSUN-Annual Review 2021
14.42 MBSUN-Annual Review 2022
2.39 MBSUN-Annual Review 2023
5.22 MBSUN-Annual Review 2024
2.96 MB
SUN-EPL Monitoring 2012
4.75 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2013
5.53 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2014
5.41 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2015
3.23 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2016
3.9 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2017
3.13 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2018
2.98 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2019 + Correction Log
4.18 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2020 + Correction Log
2.66 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2021 + Correction Log
1.88 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2022
1.34 MBSUN-EPL Monitoring 2023
1.25 MB
SUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Cover
393.11 KBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Executive Summary
6.47 MBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 1
10.02 MBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 2
33.41 MBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 3
346.95 KBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 4A
18.56 MBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 4B
63.23 MBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 5
5.88 MBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 6
262.96 KBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 7
163.75 KBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment - Section 8
222.01 KBSUN-2008 Environmental Assessment -Appendices
4.07 MBSUN-2015 Modification - Environmental Assessment (as modified following Response to Submissions)
9.11 MBSUN-2015 Modification - Environmental Assessment-Attachment 1 Traffic and Transport Review
5.23 MBSUN-2015 Modification - Environmental Assessment-Attachment 2 Noise and Blasting Review
3.48 MBSUN-2015 Modification - Environmental Assessment-Attachment 3 Air Quality Review
551.08 KBSUN-2015 Modification - Environmental Assessment-Attachment 4 Post-Mining Groundwater Assessment
373.11 KBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 1 Groundwater
12.5 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 2 Noise and Vibration
1.49 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 3a Fauna
1.98 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 3b Koala Management
1.58 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 4 Surface Water
768.54 KBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 5 Air Quality
1.46 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 6 Traffic and Transport
5.23 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 7 Aboriginal Heritage
5.03 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 8 Flora
1.35 MBSUN-Specialist Consultant Studies Compendium - Part 9 Soils and Land Capability
1.51 MB
SUN-Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management Plan
556.69 KBSUN-Air Quality Management Plan
803.34 KBSUN-Blast Management Plan
5.27 MBSUN-Bushfire Management Plan
365.18 KBSUN-Energy Savings Action Plan
398.3 KBSUN-Environmental Management Strategy
403.52 KBSUN-Environmental Monitoring Program
405.19 KBSUN-Hydrocarbon Management Plan
361.32 KBSUN-Koala Management Plan
521.55 KBSUN-Noise Management Plan
1.2 MBSUN-Pollution Incident Response Management Plan
6.89 MBSUN-Spontaneous Combustion Monitoring Plan
376.28 KBSUN-Waste Management Plan
356.9 KBSUN-Water Management Plan
4.65 MB
SUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2011
1.6 MBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2013
2.49 MBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2013-Action Plan
117.16 KBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2016
3 MBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2016-Action Plan
209.72 KBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2019
2.24 MBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2019-Action Plan
369.55 KBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2022
2.78 MBSUN-Independent Environmental Audit Report 2022-Action Plan
257.7 KB
Sunnyside Mine Timeline
FY08
FY12
Mining operations suspended
FY13-17
Mine placed into care and maintenance
FY18
Mining re-commenced in the second half of 2017
FY20
Extraction and transport of coal to be completed
Future Planning
The final year of mine operations
Mining at Sunnyside is expected to be completed during FY20. Rehabilitation is also occurring progressively, with final shaping of the landform and planting to be undertaken following the conclusion of coal mining. A Closure Mining Operations Plan has been approved to support the mine’s rehabilitation.
Contacts
Sunnyside Mine
Contact us for more information, to provide feedback or to lodge a complaint.