Australian coal miner New Hope's teetering plan for expanding its New Acland thermal coal mine in the state of Queensland was thrown a lifeline Wednesday.
The Supreme Court of Queensland Wednesday ruled that an earlier decision be set aside and the proposal be referred back to the Land Court for further consideration, the company said.
The expansion plan was rejected by the state's Land Court in May last year after the longest hearing in its 120-year history. It recommended against granting a mining lease due to "major shortcomings," including ground water issues with the company's model for the expansion at the time.
The expansion plan, known as the New Acland Mine Stage Three Project, is intended to boost New Acland's production from about 4 million mt/year to 7.5 million mt/year for 12 years, with construction to commence in 2019 and take three years.
