METALLURGICAL Corp of China has approved the purchase of a $US200 million stake in privately held Resourcehouse, controlled by Clive Palmer.

Metallurgical also said it gained approval to undertake engineering, procurement and construction work on a Resourcehouse coal project in Queensland known as China First.

Metallurgical will receive a 4 per cent commission from the sale of 30 million tonnes of coal from the project, it said in a statement.

In November, Mr Palmer said he hoped construction on the coal project would start 2010, and mining would begin in 2013.