46Mt Isaac Downs Extension Advances Near Moranbah as Stanmore Targets 15-Year Mine Life

Disclaimer: Bowen Basin Index provides project, procurement and industry information based on publicly available information current at the date of publication. The Isaac Downs Extension is a proposed project being advanced by Stanmore ID Extension Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stanmore Resources Limited. Current Queensland EIS and Stanmore project material describes the proposal as an open-cut mine extension producing approximately 46 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal over a proposed 15-year mining period, at approximately 2–4.5 million tonnes per annum. The project is proposed approximately 15 kilometres southeast of Moranbah in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. The current proposal would integrate with the existing Isaac Plains Complex and make use of existing infrastructure including the Isaac Plains coal handling and preparation plant, train-loading facilities, rail loop, mine infrastructure areas, haul roads and connections to water, power and communications. Public notification of the Environmental Impact Statement commenced on 19 August 2026 and submissions are scheduled to close on 29 September 2026. Public notification of the EIS does not constitute project approval, a final investment decision or approval to commence construction. The project remains subject to the applicable Queensland and Commonwealth environmental, mining, rehabilitation and other approval processes together with Stanmore’s internal investment decisions. Current project material targets construction for late 2027 or early 2028 and ROM coal extraction in 2029. These dates are development targets and may change as environmental assessment, approvals, engineering, project definition and investment decisions progress. Current project reporting indicates an estimated construction workforce of approximately 100–150 people and an operational workforce of approximately 300–400 people. Workforce figures are estimates and should not be interpreted as current vacancies, guaranteed employment numbers or immediate recruitment requirements. References to potential pre-strip, mine-establishment, road, water-management, drainage, earthworks, power, infrastructure-modification, CHPP-interface, engineering, rehabilitation and mining-service workstreams are based on the physical project scope and mining activities described in publicly available project material. Bowen Basin Index is not stating that each of these workstreams is currently available as an open tender or subcontract package. Actual package boundaries, procurement timing, contractor appointments, prequalification requirements and supplier opportunities will depend on final project approvals, investment decisions, engineering development and Stanmore’s eventual contracting strategy. Existing infrastructure reuse should not be interpreted as meaning the project requires no new infrastructure or construction works. BBI editorial graphics used in this article are illustrative unless specifically identified otherwise. The regional map used in this article is provided for general location context and should not be relied upon as an official mining-lease map, cadastral plan, engineering drawing, approved haul-road alignment or environmental-impact boundary. The supplied re2.jpg graphic has not been used because it contains an outdated EIS public-exhibition date that does not reflect the current August–September 2026 public-notification period. The Australian Government EPBC Public Portal currently displays some project-description figures that differ from the current Queensland EIS and Stanmore material. For this article, Bowen Basin Index has used the current State EIS / Stanmore proposal figures of approximately 46Mt ROM over 15 years at 2–4.5Mtpa.