Whitehaven thanks the Narrabri community for ongoing support

By Whitehaven Coal

The Whitehaven Coal team would like to thank the Narrabri community for its ongoing support. It was a great honour for us to receive the Business of the Year and Business Supporting Local Business awards at the recent Narrabri Business Chamber Awards.

Whitehaven is incredibly proud to be a part of this community and we recognise the important role we have to play as the largest employer in the region to support locals and local businesses. This is a responsibility we take very seriously.

We’re especially proud that around 75 per cent of our workforce live in the towns around our operational footprint here in the Gunnedah Basin. This ensures the benefits of our investment are seen and felt locally – last year alone we spent over $660 million in north west NSW via salaries and wages, local businesses and suppliers, and community investment.

We’re also aware it’s not just about jobs and business opportunities – we want to leave a social legacy that outlives our mining operations through improvements in local education, health services, skills and training opportunities, and infrastructure. Together with local councils and other partners we’re making great strides in this area but we know there’s still more to do.

At a community level, we’ve hosted several community open days over the past year or two and it’s been fantastic to see so many locals come along. These open days are an important way for us to say thank you to the community and they’re also a great way to learn more about what we do and how we operate. They will continue to be an important and regular part of our community engagement efforts going forward and we hope to see more of you there enjoying the festivities in years to come.

Looking ahead, there’s plenty happening for us at Whitehaven, which is good news for the community.

We expect to lodge the Maules Creek Mine Environmental Impact Statement early next year, which would see the continuation of mining out to 2045. We’ll have more to say about this exciting opportunity when it goes on public exhibition.

The Narrabri Stage 3 extension is also edging closer to final approvals and early mining is already underway at Vickery, with the potential to expand in the years to come.

These projects will provide significant ongoing opportunities for local workers, businesses, suppliers and the community for decades. These are long-life assets that will deliver long-term benefits, so we think the future is bright and we’re excited to continue working together to support the growth of our region.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support.