Newlands Coal is part of the NCA Project, a mining, processing and exporting partnership that delivers high quality coal, cost-effectively to international customers. The NCA Project includes the Newlands open cut and underground longwall operations, the Collinsville open cut mine and the Abbot Point coal terminal. The project is a joint venture between Xstrata Coal (55%), Itochu Coal Resources (35%) and Sumitomo (10%). Abbot Point coal terminal is owned by the Ports Corporation of Queensland.

Newlands is located in the northern part of the Queensland Bowen Basin and produces export steaming coal and coking coal.

Development at Newlands began in 1981 and coal mining operations commenced in 1983. Coal is mined from a single seam – the Upper Newlands, which averages six metres in thickness. Originally the Newlands operation aimed to produce four million tonnes of washed coal per year from approximately 4.5 million tonnes of open cut coal mined. With the commencement of underground mining in 1998 and significant restructuring of the open cut, the combined open cut produce in excess of 10 million tonnes of product coal per annum.

Xstrata Coal, on behalf of the NCA Joint Venture, has submitted applications for three new mining leases that will extend the life of the Newlands Coal mine and continue to secure future employment opportunities for the local community. The proposed extensions to the Newlands Coal mine will see the workforce and equipment move into new areas as coal reserves in current areas of the mine are depleted.