The Adani Group said on Friday its Carmichael mine and rail project in Australia were on track to produce coal next year and the project has delivered on its commitments to Queensland by employing more than 1,500 people and awarding more than $1.5 billion in contracts.

With construction set to continue into 2021, Adani expects the number of direct jobs in the project to exceed 1,500.

Adani Mining CEO David Boshoff said the Covid-19 recession meant Adani’s investment was needed more than ever.

“The ‘Stop Adani movement’ said our project would never go ahead and would never create a single job. We have proved our opponents wrong,” Boshoff said in a statement.

“Mining has cushioned the Queensland and Western Australian economies from the worst of the devastating economic impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns,” he said.

“As we work with smaller, private, and Queensland-based contractors and suppliers, we have been able to keep working through the Covid-19 pandemic with appropriate measures in place. More than 88 per cent of our contracts are being delivered in Queensland and are spread across the state to give as many regions as possible the opportunity to benefit from our project, while also enabling us to tap into the highly-skilled construction and resources industry workforce that Queensland possesses,” he said.

“Our mine and rail camps are nearing capacity, and we have more than 1,500 people working on the project site, and at our Brisbane, Townsville and Rockhampton offices,” he observed.

“And this is just the construction phase. The permanent roles will come with the operation of the mine and rail, bringing prosperity to the people and regional Queensland economy for decades to come,” he said.

“We are looking forward to the day next year when we can celebrate our success with our Queensland partners and employees, while watching the first shipment of coal being exported. Until then, it remains full speed ahead on construction,” Boshoff added.

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