Singleton Council has voted unanimously to formally back the continuation of Hunter Valley Operations.
Councillors resolved to lodge a submission to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) in support of the mine's North and South open-cut extensions.
The IPC has been running hearings into the mine's expansion in recent days.
The Singleton Council motion, moved by deputy mayor Cr Mel McLachlan at Tuesday night's meeting, directed the acting general manager to prepare a formal submission.
Speaking to the motion, Cr McLachlan said HVO had been "a major employer and economic contributor to Singleton for decades", noting that mining remained "a cornerstone of the Singleton economy" even as the region worked toward a more sustainable future.
Cr McLachlan said backing the applications did not mean abandoning long-term sustainability goals, but recognised the industry's role amid planning for future economic diversification.
The motion, seconded by Cr Peree Watson, passed without opposition or debate.
The resolution directed staff to base the submission on the mine's economic contribution to the region, the continuation of mining-related jobs, and the industry's role in "sustaining local industry, investment, and community wellbeing."
Councillors also voted to receive a follow-up report confirming the submission had been lodged.
Cr Watson said she had attended two days of the public hearings on the project and heard from speakers on both sides.
She argued the region was "simply not ready" to lose the roughly 1200 direct jobs associated with the plan.
She said there would likely be many more indirect jobs at stake that HVO supports, pointing to the early stage of "just transition" planning for coal-reliant communities.
She drew a contrast with the closure of BHP's Newcastle steelworks, saying that job losses then had been absorbed by a booming mining sector.
That safety net does not exist at the moment, Cr Watson said.
Cr Watson said she would lodge her own personal submission to the IPC, urging residents to do the same before submissions close on August 2.
Mayor Sue Moore also spoke in support of the council making a submission, telling councillors she had found some of the debate at the public hearings frustrating.
That included debate about greenhouse gas emissions, with Cr Moore arguing that coal not sourced from HVO would likely be replaced by lower-quality coal burned overseas.
She also pointed to the mine's post-mining land use planning, noting the continuation project would leave the site better placed for future non-mining use once operations ended.
Cr Moore confirmed she had already lodged her own submission in support as mayor and would also make a personal submission.
Hearings ran at Branxton Community Hall on July 16 and 17, with fierce debate and strong interest extending into an online session on July 22.
The hearings drew dozens of speakers on both sides.
Hunter Jobs Alliance organiser Sam Wilkins argued export coal workers at HVO remain excluded from federal transition support schemes, while Denman resident and former Bayswater power station engineer Trevor Woolley told the Commission a warmer-than-usual winter and "acid" rain were signs climate change was already underway locally.
On the health front, University of Melbourne air pollution expert Dr Gabriel da Silva warned more than 50 Upper Hunter homes could be exposed to dangerously high levels of fine particulate matter linked to premature death if the mine's life is extended into the 2040s.
The sessions also heard questions over HVO's obligations to the workforce beyond the mine's eventual closure.
A Lock the Gate Alliance review found a requirement for HVO North to prepare a formal mine exit strategy, attached to its original 2004 approval, appears to have been quietly dropped when an 18-month extension was granted in April 2025.
Lock the Gate national coordinator Georgina Woods said the missing strategy would have given the workforce "a safety net," while HVO general manager Dave Foster rejected any suggestion the company did not care for its employees' welfare, saying meeting its consent obligations was "our starting point, not our finish line."
