CHINESE coalminer Shenhua Group has reaffirmed its commitment to its proposed $1.7 billion mine in northern NSW, saying the stricter conditions imposed on it last week by the state government should not require any major changes.
In a NSW government bid to ease bitter tensions between miners and farmers, Shenhua has been banned from mining on the alluvial flood plains or on the rich black soil of the Liverpool Plains, The Australian Financial Review reports.
Shenhua said it had already pledged to not mine the black soil plains and it understood the government's commitment to achieving the right balance between agriculture and mining.
"We are committed to continuing to work closely and co-operatively with landholders in our area of operations," a Shenhua spokeswoman said. "At this stage we do not expect to have to make fundamental changes to our plans."
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