Coal news and updates

Leighton to build Whitehaven Coal rail loop

Whitehaven Coal has contracted Leighton Holdings to build a rail loop for its $766 million Maules Creek project in NSW.

The rail loop is a key part of the coal mine's infrastructure and an important milestone in its construction, Whitehaven said.

The mine, in the Gunnedah basin in the state's north, is slated to begin production in the first quarter of calendar 2015, providing 10.5 million tonnes of saleable thermal and coking coal.

Environmentalists are fighting the federal government's approval of the mine in the Federal Court, with a decision expected in November.

Source: AAP/Financial Review