Australian Government approval of the Olive Downs metallurgical coal mine project near Moranbah in central Queensland will create more than 1000 new jobs in the region at a time when they were needed most, Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said.
Mr Macfarlane said the Australian Government's approval, following the Queensland Government's grant of the Environmental Authority for the project in 2019, was an important milestone for the $1 billion project and a further confidence booster for Queensland's COVID-19 recovery.
"Resource projects, like tourism, renewable energy and other major projects, go through comprehensive and transparent Queensland and Australian Government assessment and approval processes," he said.
"The resources sector injected $73 billion and supported 372,000 jobs across Queensland last financial year. COVID-19 is impacting all parts of our lives and our economy. The announcement today reinforces the role of the resources sector in Queensland's recovery."
The Olive Downs project includes:
- open-cut metallurgical coal mine
- coal handling and preparation plant
- 18 km rail spur and on site rail loop
- raw water pipeline connecting to the Eungella pipeline network
- private access roads
- electricity transmission line
- wastewater and sewage treatment plants
