Security deposits
It is the responsibility of the Resources Regulator to ensure that land disturbed by exploration and mining activities is returned to a safe, stable and sustainable land use.
All exploration and mining title holders are required to lodge a security deposit with the department that covers the full rehabilitation costs. This requirement ensures the NSW Government does not incur financial liabilities in the event of a title holder defaulting on their rehabilitation obligations.
Title holders are required to provide an estimate of rehabilitation costs for our consideration when determining the security deposit amount. The estimate must be:
- calculated using the Rehabilitation cost estimation tool (XLSM, 3.19 MB)
- consistent with the current stage of the exploration project or mine
- provided annually.
The rehabilitation cost estimation tool and handbook are available on our Guidance material for mining page.
Our inspectors regularly assess the surface disturbance (or proposed disturbance) of a mine or exploration site to calculate the initial security deposit. This is known as the assessed deposit. Once the assessed deposit is determined, we will vary the condition of the title and ensure the correct funds are held.
Over the life of the mine or exploration project, we regularly assess security deposits to ensure sufficient funds are held. When rehabilitation is completed and signed off, some or all of the security deposit is returned to the title holder.
Large mines assessed deposit determinations (July 2024)
Mine |
Assessed deposit |
| Abel Underground Coal Mine |
$5,165,000 |
| Adelong Gold Mine |
$449,000 |
| AGL Macquarie |
$10,542,000 |
| Airly Colliery |
$5,488,000 |
| Andersons Pit |
$334,000 |
| Angus Place Colliery |
$12,210,000 |
| Appin Colliery |
$51,854,000 |
| Ardlethan Tin Mine |
$868,000 |
| Arumpo Bentonite Mine |
$467,200 |
| Ashton Coal Mine |
$26,797,000 |
| Atlas Mineral Sands Mine |
$33,000,000 |
| Attunga Limestone Mine |
$4,394,000 |
| Austar Coal Mine |
$52,775,000 |
| Austral Brick - Bowral Quarry Extension |
$204,000 |
| Austral Brick - Lot 2 Bunnygalore Quarry |
$173,000 |
| Austral Brick - Marulan Quarry |
$124,000 |
| Austral Brick - New Berrima Quarry |
$489,000 |
| Austral Brick - Plant 23 Horsley Park |
$3,470,000 |
| Baal Bone Colliery |
$4,487,000 |
| Badgerys Creek Quarry - PGH |
$2,109,000 |
| Badgerys Creek Quarry and Material Processing Facility |
$47,000 |
| Balranald Mineral Sands Project |
$8,324,000 |
| Bengalla Mine |
$111,623,000 |
| Berrima Colliery |
$10,152,000 |
| Bloomfield Mine |
$28,588,000 |
| Boggabri Coal |
$70,713,000 |
| Boral Cement - Berrima Works Blue Shale Quarry |
$752,000 |
| Bringelly Clay Mine |
$776,000 |
| Broula King Gold Mine |
$1,982,000 |
| Broula Magnetite and Limestone Mine |
$672,722 |
| Buckaroo Mine |
$162,000 |
| Bulga Complex |
$128,912,000 |
| Burkes Shale Quarry |
$113,000 |
| Byers Pit - Dronvisa |
$330,000 |
| Cadia Valley Operations |
$201,465,000 |
| Canowindra Limestone Mine |
$363,000 |
| Canyonleigh Bauxite Pit |
$133,000 |
| Castle Mountain Zeolites |
$122,000 |
| Chain Valley Colliery |
$10,723,000 |
| Charbon Colliery |
$12,226,000 |
| Clarence Colliery |
$9,980,000 |
| Coorabin Clay Mine |
$381,000 |
| Cow Flat Quarry |
$1,329,000 |
| Cowal Gold Mine |
$127,937,000 |
| Crayfish Mineral Sands Mine |
$4,107,000 |
| CSA Mine |
$44,031,000 |
| Cullen Valley Mine |
$2,940,000 |
| Dargues Gold Mine |
$10,140,000 |
| Dartbrook Mine |
$9,391,000 |
| Dendrobium Colliery |
$20,836,000 |
| Donaldson Open Cut Coal Mine |
$3,753,000 |
| Duralie Mine |
$20,535,000 |
| Endeavor Mine |
$27,956,000 |
| Escott Zeolite Mine |
$213,000 |
| Excelsior Limestone Quarry |
$2,112,000 |
| Galong Limestone Mine |
$5,910,000 |
| Ginkgo Mineral Sands Mine |
$15,053,000 |
| Glenella Quarry |
$203,000 |
| Good Friday Gold Mine |
$520,000 |
| Gunnedah Colliery |
$13,355,000 |
| Hera Mine |
$12,218,000 |
| Hillgrove Mines |
$4,920,000 |
| Hi-Quality - Kemps Creek Central Shale Mine |
$349,000 |
| Hi-Quality - Londonderry Quarry |
$506,000 |
| Hi-Quality - Oallen Ford |
$500,000 |
| Hi-Quality - Windellama Clay Mine |
$588,000 |
| Hunter Valley Operations |
$217,173,000 |
| Integra Underground |
$15,899,000 |
| Invincible Colliery |
$2,894,000 |
| Ivanhoe Coal Mine |
$5,222,000 |
| Jindera |
$300,000 |
| Kandos Quarry |
$2,187,000 |
| Liddell Coal |
$44,493,000 |
| Luddenham Clay Mine |
$442,000 |
| Lynton Limestone Quarry |
$125,000 |
| Macquarie Coal Complex |
$29,707,900 |
| Mallee Quarries Gypsum Mine |
$41,000 |
| Mandalong Mine |
$15,797,000 |
| Mangoola Coal Mine |
$81,251,200 |
| Manuka Mine |
$6,658,000 |
| Marrangaroo Quarry |
$991,000 |
| Marulan South Limestone Mine |
$26,814,000 |
| Maules Creek Mine Complex |
$131,700,000 |
| Maxwell Underground Coal Mine |
$61,710,000 |
| Metropolitan Colliery |
$22,336,000 |
| Mineral Hill Mine |
$7,408,000 |
| Moolarben Coal |
$127,716,000 |
| Mount Pleasant Coal Mine |
$99,595,000 |
| Mount Thorley Warkworth Complex |
$216,256,000 |
| Mt Arthur Coal |
$416,536,140 |
| Mt Boppy Gold Mine |
$1,381,000 |
| Mt Knowles Mine |
$331,000 |
| Mt Owen Complex |
$97,930,000 |
| Murrawombie Copper Mine |
$12,767,000 |
| Muswellbrook Coal |
$59,556,000 |
| Myuna Colliery Complex |
$10,649,000 |
| Narrabri Colliery |
$25,541,000 |
| Nelungaloo Limestone Mine |
$195,000 |
| Newstan and Awaba |
$19,663,000 |
| Norms Mine |
$49,400 |
| North East Mine |
$1,590,000 |
| North Mine |
$23,893,742 |
| Northparkes Mines |
$80,680,348 |
| Nowra Brickworks Quarry |
$1,036,000 |
| Paxtons Mine |
$20,000 |
| Peak Gold Mine |
$49,393,000 |
| Peak Hill Gold Mine |
$200,000 |
| Pine Dale Mine |
$1,259,000 |
| Pinnacles Mine |
$714,000 |
| Potosi Operations |
$23,893,742 |
| Primelime Cudal |
$80,739 |
| Rasp Mine |
$16,944,000 |
| Ravensworth Complex |
$111,901,300 |
| Ravensworth Underground Mine |
$16,012,700 |
| Reward Gold Mine |
$496,000 |
| Rixs Creek Mine |
$87,134,000 |
| RocGlen Open Cut Coal Mine |
$8,129,000 |
| Russell Vale Colliery |
$15,325,000 |
| Snapper Mineral Sands Mine |
$23,426,000 |
| Southern Operations |
$23,893,742 |
| Springvale Colliery |
$6,820,000 |
| Stratford Coal Mine |
$21,139,000 |
| Sulcor Limestone Mine |
$863,000 |
| Sunnyside Coal Mine |
$1,465,000 |
| Sunsalt Mourquong Operation |
$176,000 |
| Tahmoor Colliery |
$29,850,000 |
| Tallawang Magnetite |
$114,000 |
| Tarrawonga Coal Mine |
$59,550,000 |
| Thuddungra Mine |
$4,844,000 |
| Timor Limestone Quarry |
$168,000 |
| Tomingley Gold Mine |
$12,307,000 |
| Tritton Copper Mine |
$19,494,000 |
| Ulan Coal Mine |
$143,866,000 |
| Ulan Quarry |
$155,000 |
| United Wambo Joint Venture |
$95,825,000 |
| Vickery Coal Mine |
$3,380,000 |
| Wallerawang Quarry |
$1,123,000 |
| Wambo Complex |
$34,109,000 |
| Warrego Gypsum |
$22,000 |
| Werris Creek Coal Mine |
$51,057,000 |
| Western Coal Services |
$18,890,000 |
|
Whitehaven Coal Gunnedah Coal Handling Prep Plant & Rail Loader (recently granted) |
$10,000 |
| Wilpinjong Coal Mine |
$81,391,000 |
| Wongawilli Colliery |
$34,625,000 |
| Woodlawn Mine Tarago |
$15,069,000 |
| Wyee Clay Mine |
$509,000 |
Note: The table above is a point-in-time summary of the assessed security deposits for large mines in NSW at the date of publication. The current assessed security deposits for these mines can be viewed online by searching at Mining Title Register
Further information
More information regarding rehabilitation security deposits is provided in the documents below.
- Policy: Rehabilitation security deposits (PDF, 65.71 KB)
- Rehabilitation cost estimation tool (XLSM, 3.19 MB)
- Rehabilitation cost estimation tool handbook (PDF, 4.62 MB)
- Rehabilitation cost estimate guideline (PDF, 267.12 KB)
- Fact sheet - Minister's review of assessed security deposit (PDF, 213.79 KB)
- Recording: RCE Tool webinar 5 May 2022