The revised Project site lies within the Cecil Plains Sub-Basin which is located within the western portion of the Clarence-Moreton Basin. In Queensland, the Clarence-Moreton Basin merges with the Surat Basin. The Kumbarilla Ridge is a basement high consisting of the Upper Devonian to Upper Carboniferous Texas beds and separates the Cecil Plains Sub-Basin of the Clarence Moreton Basin, from the Surat Basin. The Clarence-Moreton Basin represents an eastern portion of the Mesozoic GAB.

The economic coal-bearing sediments of the Surat and Clarence-Moreton basins occur in the Walloon Coal Measures. The Walloon Coal Measures are Middle to Upper Jurassic in age and are a part of the Injune Creek Group. Although the Kumbarilla Ridge is considered to structurally separate the Clarence-Moreton Basin from the Surat Basin, the Walloon Coal Measures occur on both sides of the Kumbarilla Ridge and are laterally continuous between the Clarence Moreton Basin and the Surat Basin.

The stage 3 project is the expansion of the existing open-cut mine and proposes to produce up to 7.5 mtpa of thermal coal for an approximately 12 year period.

The key components of the project include:
- mining in three new pits, namely, the Manning Vale West, Manning Vale East and Willeroo pits;
- mining and out-of-pit dumps located on ML50216;
- emplacement of two out-of-pit spoil dumps associated with the Manning Vale and Willeroo mine pits.

NEW ACLAND STAGE 3 DEVELOPMENT
On 17 December 2021, the Land Court of Queensland recommended that the New Acland Mine Stage 3 Mining Leases and the Environmental Authority amendment application be granted, subject to conditions. On 26 May 2022, the Coordinator-General issued her change report to the stated conditions for the Environmental Authority for New Acland Mine Stage 3. The Coordinator-General’s change report satisfies a condition to the Land Court of Queensland’s recommendation that New Acland Mine Stage 3 Mining Leases and the Environmental Authority amendment be granted. Following this, on 28 June 2022 the Department of Environment and Science issued the New Acland Mine Stage 3 Environmental Authority. The Environmental Authority includes the Coordinator-General’s amended stated conditions in accordance with the Land Court of Queensland’s recommendation that New Acland Mine Stage 3 Mining Leases and Environmental Authority application be granted.

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