The plans are in line with the company’s efforts to ensure continual employment for the 500 workers at the mine.
Anglo American open cut operations head Mark Heaton said: "Looking first at the coal we have left at Drayton, we have developed an interim mine plan that would allow operations to continue until early next year which satisfies our immediate employment challenges, however for ongoing employment continuity we require a speedy resolution for the Drayton South project.
"We believe the revised project plan and conditions will address the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) concerns in a fair and reasonable manner in line with the Government’s stated policy on industry coexistence."
The planned project will boost production at the mine to seven million tons each year and increase mine life by around 21 years, reported Mining Weekly.
