A coal mining company has been fined $84,000 for piling up excessive amounts of mine waste at its Hunter Valley operations.

Integra Coal has also been ordered by the Land and Environment Court to pay the NSW Department of Infrastructure and Planning $38,000 in costs following the department's successful prosecution.

Integra was granted approval in 2010 to operate its open cut and underground mines with specified limits to the height of waste rock piles.

The department's compliance officers investigated Integra's operations in August 2011 and found waste rock dump heights significantly breached the limits in the development approval.

Chris Wilson, the department's executive director of major project assessments, said this week's ruling showed his agency's commitment to hold mining companies to their environmental limits and to ensure the integrity of the approvals process.

Related links:

Integra Coal