Remediation of the former Newcastle Gasworks site at Hamilton North is on track and due to be completed in June.
Work on the heavily polluted site, which had been dormant for 34 years, began last October.
A 10-metre deep concrete wall that will tap into bedrock and wrap around three sides of the site will prevent contaminants from escaping.
The land will then be capped with clay before being opened as a commercial and industrial precinct.
The site's owner Jemena said over 75 per cent of the $11million project had been completed.
"We hit a number of key milestones in the first quarter of this year including the construction and completion of the underground barrier wall, importation of clean material for the capping system, and relocation of the site offices to allow for general earthworks and capping at the southern portion of the site," a spokesman said.
"Over the coming weeks we will focus on importing material for the road-base layer, which will overlie the clay capping system, before a two-coat spray seal finish is applied to finish the cap."
Safe working practices had been put in place to ensure work was able to continue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have adapted how we are working to ensure we are adhering to social distancing requirements as well as other advice from the NSW Government to protect the health and wellbeing of our people and the community," he said.
"We continue to be confident we will meet our project timeframes, provided we continue to receive good weather, with the project scheduled for completion around June this year."
Jemena bought the site, which operated as a gasworks between 1911 and 1985, from AGL in 2006.
More than 65,000 cubic metres of overburden to a depth of four metres below ground level was found to be contaminated.
Numerous false starts to rehabilitate the strategically positioned parcel of land have resulted in it lying idle for more than three decades.
A proposal in the early 2000s to use part of the site for a transport interchange didn't eventuate.
But its proximity to the Broadmeadow sports and entertainment precinct, which is the subject of a state government-backed concept masterplan, could now make it a potentially attractive investment.
A Jemena spokesman said in 2018, while the company was not actively trying to sell the site, it had an open mind about its future.
"Our focus at the moment is on safely remediating the site so we haven't made any plans or decisions in relation to how it will be used in the future," the spokesman said.
"That said we haven't ruled any options off the table, noting the site will be remediated to a commercial-industrial standard."
READ MORE:
- Work starts on the clean-up of the former Newcastle gasworks site 34 years after it closed
- Clarity sought over what the former Hamilton North gasworks site will be used for once it is rehabilitated
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