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.

The coal resource at the DCM is located within the Permian aged Gloucester Basin in NSW. The DCM is located in the southern closure of the main synclinal structure of the Gloucester Basin and is associated with the coal bearing strata of the Dewrang Group. The Dewrang Group comprises three main stratigraphic units, namely: Mammy Johnsons Formation; Weismantels Formation; and Duralie Road Formation.

The coal seams mined at the DCM include:
• the Weismantel Seams;
• the Clareval Seams; and
• the Cheerup Seams.

The underlying basement rocks are principally volcanics of Early Permian (i.e. Alum Mountain Volcanics) and Carboniferous age that were folded during formation of the Gloucester Basin. The Early Permian and Carboniferous volcanic rocks are typically erosion resistant and form the more prominent ridges to the east and west of the DCM.

The Stratford Duralie operation consists of the Stratford and Duralie open cut mines.

Duralie Coal Mine consists of an open-cut, truck and excavator mine producing run of mine (ROM) coal, which is railed to the Stratford Mining Complex (SMC) and processed at the SMC Coal Handling and Processing Plant (CHPP).

The operations extract ROM coal from the Weismantel and Clareval seams at the base of the Gloucester Coal Measures. The deposit forms a synclinal structure with the open cut area located at the southernmost crop line within the main axis of the Gloucester Basin. The operation is now situated on the west limb of the syncline with seams dipping at about 50 degrees east. Mining is undertaken within ML1427 and of ML1646 and includes the extension of the Weismantel pit to the north west and the inclusion of the Clareval seam parallel and to the west of the Weismantel seam.

Dips within the deposit vary from a shallow 5 degrees to an almost vertical profile. Consequently, a method of horizontal 3m to 4m benches is used as the primary extraction method. An average of 5m of free dig material is generally experienced at Duralie after which all waste material generally requires blasting.

Mining activities continued in the Weismantel pit during the 2018/19 reporting period. Mining in the Clareval pit was completed during September 2017 and waste from the Weismantel pit continued to be placed in the Clareval pit. Clearing in advance of mining has now been completed up to the approved disturbance limit in both Weismantel and Clareval. Mining of ROM coal within the Weismantel pit ceased in October 2018. Approximately 400kt of ROM coal is remaining in the Weismantel pit and is intended to be extracted between 2020 to 2021.

During the reporting period DCPL complied with the approved operating hours. Mining operations are permitted 7 days per week, however mining is currently undertaken during Monday to Friday with no weekend work. Additionally, nightshift operations have ceased during 2018 and a day shift only operates at the DCM.

SMC consists of an open-cut, truck and excavator mine producing ROM coal which is processed at the CHPP and transported via train on the North Coast Railway to the Port of Newcastle.

Mining activities approved under the Stratford Coal Mine and Bowens Road North Development Consents were suspended in mid-2014, however, processing of ROM coal from the Duralie Coal Mine (DCM) at the CHPP and the export of product coals continued during this time.

Mining activities approved under the SEP Development Consent (SSD-4966) were commenced on 4 April 2018. The following milestones were achieved during the reporting period:
- Mining in the BRN Open Cut recommenced in April 2018.
- Construction of the new Avon North Open Cut commenced in June 2018, including the construction of a new haul road, out-of-pit waste emplacement and box-cut.
- Mining in the Avon North Open Cut commenced in July 2018.
- Construction of the Wenham Cox Road diversion commenced in July 2018 and was completed in September 2018.

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

During the reporting period SCPL complied with the approved operating hours. All construction activities were undertaken by a dayshift crew (7am to 5pm). The BRN pit is operated by a day crew only (7am to 5pm) whilst the Avon North Pit includes both a day shift and an evening/night shift. Typically, weekend work is only undertaken on dayshift.

Mining in the approved Stratford East Open Cut and Roseville West Extension Pit are proposed in future reporting periods.

ROM coal excavated from the open cut pits is delivered to the ROM pad and then conveyed to the CHPP for processing. The CHPP also processes ROM coal transported from the Duralie Coal Mine on the North Coast Railway and small quantities of CHPP rejects recovered by excavation from the western co-disposal area at the Stratford Coal Mine.

Blended coal products are transported by rail to the Port of Newcastle for export, and to domestic customers.

The Duralie mine produces two ROM products which are processed and blended with other ROM coals at the Stratford CHPP.

Stratford CHPP produces a coking coal and a range
of thermal coal products for export.

Stratford CHPP
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 ........