The Project is located within the northern portion of the Denison Trough at the southern extent of the Bowen Basin. Surface geology in the region is dominated by numerous anticlines and synclines with north to north-west trending fold axes. Subsurface geology is categorised as the Bowen Basin synclinorium of Central East Queensland. Coal resources within the Project area are contained within seams of Early to Middle Permian age. The dominant regional solid geologies mapped over the Project area are Aldebaran Sandstone and Reids Dome Beds with some small areas of surface basalt

The Valeria South lies at the north of the Denison Trough towards the southern end of the Bowen Basin and is a well-known source of coal with an extensive history of coal mining. The Valeria South area is located in the northern portion of the Denison Trough on the western flank of the Bowen Basin. Coal resources within the Mine area MLA occur within 13 seams of Early to Middle Permian age within the Reids Dome Beds and the overlying Aldebaran Sandstone.

Stratigraphy of the Project

Cainozoic:
- Alluvium, minor basalt, poorly sorted and consolidated sediments.

Early Permian:
- Aldebaran Sandstone: Pebbly quartz sandstone, conglomerate, minor shale, siltstone and coal. Delta –Lacustrine depositional environment;
- Cattle Creek Formation: Quartzose to sub labile sandstone and mudstone. Shallow Marine – Delta depositional environment;
- Reids Dome Beds: Siltstone, shale, labile sandstone, lithic conglomerate and coal. Alluvial Fan/Lacustrine depositional environment.

Late Devonian:
- Retreat Granite Suite: Hornblende-biotite granodiorite and adamellite, biotite-hornblende tonalite, diorite, gabbro.

Late Ordovician:
- Fork Lagoon Beds: Quartzose arenite and cleaved mudstone and siltstone, locally phacoidal; minor basalt, felsic volcaniclastics and rare bioclastic limestone and sheared marble.

Early CambrianOrdovician:
- Anakie Metamorphics: Siltstone, fine sandstone, phyllite, schist, commonly cleaved and multiply deformed.

The Project is proposed to be a conventional truck and shovel operation, involving the removal of overburden in addition to coal and parting in up to eight pits.

Tailings and rejects will be disposed of in a Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) with options for in pit co-disposal being investigated. Waste rock dumps will be located out-of-pit, however as mining progresses waste rock will be backfilled into pit voids.

Investigations and mine planning currently being undertaken will inform pit extent and design to confirm if any pits will result in a residual void and to ensure no residual voids without a post mine landuse are located within floodplains.

Coal will be separated from waste material at the Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP).

ROM coal from the Valeria Project will be processed through a ROM primary crusher and processing CHPP. Coal processing will consist of crushing and washing with a ROM bypass optionality.