Adani has passed its final environmental approval and can now begin work on its Carmichael mine in Central Queensland after nearly nine years of planning, fierce protests and endless political debate.
On Thursday afternoon, Queensland's Environment Department approved the mine's groundwater management plan, with construction at the Galilee Basin to ramp up over the coming weeks.
After Labor's poor results at the federal election, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month said she was "fed up" with both the federal and state delays for the Indian miner and gave her Environment Department the new deadlines.
Over the past 18 months Adani had produced about a dozen versions of the plan. Previous attempts failed to meet key environmental requirements, including a plan to avoid destroying one of the world's last unspoiled desert oases, the Doongmabulla Springs Complex.
It was ordered to identify the source of the springs and on Thursday the Environment Department said Adani had sufficiently established that Clematis Sandstone was the main source aquifer.
However, the miner was ordered to do further investigation and install a new bore to rule out whether the Permian aquifers (Colinlea) was also a source.
It will also be required to do further work over the next two years to identify any other potential source, by using detailed hydrogeochemical analysis of groundwater from different springs, isotopic analysis, air sampling and examinations of core samples from new bores.
The Department said while box cut mining can begin at the site, underground mining will not commence until the further testing is completed.
The Department said it sought advice from CSIRO and Geoscience Australia, which it received last week, and decided to approve the plan in its current form.
"CSIRO and Geoscience Australia also confirmed that some level of uncertainty in geological and groundwater conceptual models always exists," the Department said in a statement.
Miner 'ready to start work'
Adani Australia chief executive Lucas Dow said that over the coming days the company would start "preparatory activities" such as finalising contracts, mobilising equipment and recruitment.
Construction of fences, as well as bridge and road upgrades and water management and civil earthworks would then start.
"The level of construction activity will then steadily increase over the coming weeks," he said.
"We're ready to start work ... and deliver the jobs these regions so badly need."
Mr Dow said the mine would need about 1,500 employees, and was expected to create 6,750 indirect jobs in the region.
Minister unapologetic over approval time
Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch told Parliament the robustness of the approval process had attracted criticism from media and parts of the community.
"And, it has been derided by the LNP here in Queensland who have appeared to be keen to see all environmental processes abandoned," she said.
"But the people of Queensland have a right to expect that the Government takes a responsible approach.
"Our state has some of the most rigorous environmental protections in the country and we do not apologise for that."
Thursday's approval comes almost a fortnight after the Department granted approval for the mine's conservation plan for the endangered black-throated finch.
While Thursday's decision gives Adani the green light, designs for its railway line to get coal to the Abbot Point terminal, north of Bowen, are yet to be finalised.
Further deadlines from June to September have also been set for rail construction and operation, a workers' camp, airport, and a finalised royalties deal.
First mining basin opened up in five decades
The mine is the first to gain approval for the Galilee Basin, another six are proposed for the region.
Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan said it had been more than 50 years since a new coal basin opened in Queensland.
"Adani is the biggest commercial investment from an Indian company in Australia. Hopefully there will now be many more investments to come."
Locals 'over the moon' over opportunities to come
Clermont is one of the small central Queensland towns that will benefit from the mine, with locals gaining media attention by refusing to serve anti-Adani protesters who came to town in April.
Now that the mine is approved, local business owner Frieda Berry-Porter hoped more families would move to the area.
"Anything that brings people to town is certainly going to benefit our local economy," she said.
Another resident Justin Lawrence said the mine would give the younger generation more opportunities for apprenticeships and the chance to stay in town.
Clermont publican Leslie Boal said he was over the moon about the mine's approval.
"They'll lift the roof off here tonight, so it'll be packed," he said.
"I'll shout 'em a few beers and we'll celebrate. It's the greatest news we've had for eight years, anyway."
Despite the local reaction, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition said they would not give up their fight.
"The Government has been bullied into this decision, that's very very clear. It's not representative of what the people want," Townsville representative Alicia Walter said.
"There are still a number of approvals that need to happen before they can actually start extracting coal, which means that this project is not ready to go ahead and we will fight it every step of the way."
It has approvals to produce up to 60 million tonnes of thermal coal every year but at this stage is only planning to produce about 27.5 million tonnes.
Late on Wednesday the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) won a Federal Court appeal, which found the Commonwealth had not properly assessed about 2,000 public submissions on Adani's plans to use river water.
But the ACF conceded that the decision was unlikely to further delay the controversial project given Thursdy's "green light".
