Metropolitan Coal is located within the Southern Coalfield, within the southern part of the Sydney Basin, which is infilled with sedimentary rocks of Permian age (<270 million years ago) and of Triassic age (<225 million years ago).

Three formally named coal seams of the Illawarra Coal Measures are present in the Southern Coalfield, namely the Bulli, Balgownie and Wongawilli Seams.

Immediately overlying the Bulli Coal unit of the Illawarra Coal Measures are sandstones and claystones of the Narrabeen Group. The Narrabeen Group contains the Newport Formation (sometimes referred to as the Gosford Formation), the Bald Hill Claystone (also referred to as Chocolate Shale and formed as a result of laterite weathering Gerringong Volcanics), the Bulgo Sandstone, the Stanwell Park Claystone/Shale, the Scarborough Sandstone, the Wombarra Shale and the Coal Cliff Sandstone. At the top of the sequence in the area of interest is the Hawkesbury Sandstone (HCPL, 2008).

Many features of the NSW Coalfields surface topography are directly correlated to the basement structure, the depth of the basement from the surface through many sedimentary epochs and the deformational episodes of the basement rock. The Palaeozoic granite basement rock underlies the Sydney Basin sedimentary rocks. At Metropolitan Coal the total depth of Sydney Basin sedimentation is 2.3 km.

Surface lineaments are linear features in the surface landscape, preferentially eroded, that ........

Coal extracted from the underground mining operations is transferred by conveyor to the surface
facilities area.

On 17 May 2022, the Department received an Extraction Plan application seeking approval to extract Longwalls 308-310.

The Extraction Plan for Longwalls 308-310 also includes post-mining monitoring and management of potential subsidence impacts and environmental consequences for previously extracted Longwalls 20 to 22, 23 to 27, 301 to 303, 304 and 305 to 307.

The extraction of Longwall 306 commenced on 15 June 2021 and was completed on 23 March 2022. Longwall 307 commenced extraction on 22 April 2022 and was completed on 21 November 2022. Longwall 308 commenced 12 December 2022 and is expected to be completed in July 2023.

Longwalls 308-310 would comprise a total void width of 138 m, maximum extraction height of 3.2 m and a tailgate chain pillar width of 70 m.

OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN THE NEXT REPORTING PERIOD
Longwall 308 commenced extraction on 12 December 2022 and is forecast to be completed in July 2023. The figures presented in this Annual Review show the approved Longwalls 308-310 Extraction Plan layout. In the next reporting period, Longwall 309 is anticipated to commence extraction in August 2023.

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