Australian govt clears Adani's Carmichael coal mine

However, environment minister Greg Hunt imposed strict conditions for the project

In August, a court had temporarily blocked progress on the project in the inland Galilee Basin following a claim Adani failed to take into account the welfare of the yakka skink and an ornamental snake.

Adani, which stills needs state government approvals including a mining lease and permission to dredge for a port, has yet to line up funding.

"It is certainty over the remaining approvals that is now key to the company progressing its plan to deliver mine, rail and port projects in Queensland that will deliver 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, and A$22 billion in taxes and royalties," Adani Australia said in an emailed statement.

Adani was planning to mine coal in Australia and then ship it to Asia to feed the local power stations. But the project met with resistance from the environmentalists and local people, who say the project would damage the local ecology permanently.

The project envisages a railway track and development of a mine which would be Australia's largest coal mine development project ever. But the viability of the project is under a colour due to falling coal prices and refusal of banks to fund the project due to damage to Great Barrier Reef.

The group hopes to ship 40 million tonnes of coal annually from the site.