About the Asset

The Maxwell Project is an underground coal mining development located east of Denman and south of Muswellbrook.

The project will produce high quality coals with at least 75% capable of being used in the making of steel and will deliver about 250 construction jobs and 350 jobs during operation into the region that will provide a real boost for the local economy, keeping families and young people in the region.

The project has been shaped by more than six years of ongoing consultation with the local community and our neighbours. Since announcing our intended acquisition of the mine in late 2017, we have been proactive to ensure our proposal is aligned with the expectations of our local community.

This has meant developing the area as an underground mine that would be vastly different from past proposals for the site.

It is Malabar’s strong view that this underground project can comfortably co-exist with other industries and land uses in the area.

At Malabar’s request, the NSW Government amended the exploration licence (EL) to give up the portion of the EL located beneath and to the south of the Golden Highway, and to restrict any future development to underground mining only.

In addition to this, and with the full support of Malabar, the NSW Government has added a further layer of protection, a State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), to provide legal certainty that only an underground project can be developed within EL5460.

Throughout the planning process we have taken a number of practical steps to reduce our impact on the environment and the community. To that end, we will be using the established facilities at ‘Maxwell Infrastructure’ to process and rail all coal we intend to mine at the Maxwell Project.

Resources

Project Progress

On 01 October 2020, the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, released its comprehensive Assessment Report for the Maxwell Project, with the key recommendation that it is in the public interest and can proceed.

The project has been referred to the NSW Independent Planning Commission , which hold a Public Hearing regarding the project on 11 November.

This announcement follows the public exhibition of the Project's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in August and September 2019.  This process resulted in the Department receiving 231 public submissions on the Project during the exhibition period, comprising 77% in support, 22% opposed and two submissions by way of comment.

We were pleased by the strong endorsement from the community, with over 75% of submissions lodged in support for the Project. Such confidence in the Project recognises the many and real benefits the Maxwell Project offers and the long-term engagement we have had with our communities. For more information about how we have listened and taken steps to address feedback from the community, refer to the Feedback Fact Sheet below.

The EIS is available to download online from DPIE’s Major Projects website.