The coal resource at the SMC is located within the Permian aged Gloucester Basin in NSW. The SMC is located in the central eastern flank of the north-south trending synclinal structure of the Gloucester Basin. In this area, a thick sequence of Carboniferous volcanics is overlain by late Permian sedimentary strata including coal seams. The Permian succession is divided into the following three groups (oldest to youngest):
• Stroud Volcanics;
• Dewrang Group; and
• Gloucester Coal Measures.

The Cloverdale, Roseville, Marker, Bowens Road and Avon Seams have been previously mined at the SMC. Coal seams in the project area are generally of constant thicknesses except to the east where thrust faulting has thickened and repeated strata, which is further complicated by the steeply dipping syncline structure.

SMC consists of an open-cut mine which utilises truck and excavator mining methods to produce ROM coal. ROM coal is processed at the CHPP and transported via train on the North Coast Railway to the

The following key activities were undertaken during the reporting period:
• Mining continued in the BRN Open Cut and the Roseville West Open Cut within the existing footprints;
• Mining in the Avon North Open Cut advanced to the full proposed mining footprint;
• Mining in the Stratford East Open Cut advanced to the south with further development of the waste emplacement, water division systems and haul road network; and
• Reprocessing of coal from both the Western Co-disposal area continued during the reporting period.

Mining operations are permitted 7 days per week. Operational time restrictions apply as prescribed in SSD-4966

Coal is processed in a 600 tonnes per hour (tph) coal handling and processing plant (CHPP) with coarse coal (i.e. 50mm down to 1mm) treated using dense medium cyclones (50mm to 1.5mm) and “teeter bed” separator/spirals (1.5mm to 0.4mm) and fine coal using floatation (0.4mm to <0.1mm). The CHPP operates on a two shift, 5 days per week basis. Feed to the CHPP is by front end loader based on blending of coal plies from the ROM stockpile.