THE proposed $800 million Wallarah 2 coalmine at Jilliby isn’t likely to be approved any time soon – if at all – but that hasn’t stopped the proponents from seeking expressions of interest from potential employees.
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Wallarah 2’s backers, Wyong Coal and the Korean government-owned Kores, said the underground coalmine would generate 300 direct jobs and “plenty of opportunities for Central Coast businesses”.
“We want to hear from experienced underground coal miners as well as from those who don’t have experience but would like to join the industry”, Wallarah 2 project manager Kenny Barry said.
“While a final decision on the proposal is still some distance in the future we want to be prepared if we get the green light.”
The announcement is sure to pique the interest of the estimated 1000 local mine workers who have lost their jobs in the Hunter in the last 12 months due to mine closures.
Among them are the 300 workers from the West Wallsend colliery which was closed by Glencore this month after almost 50 years of operations.
Another 100 workers lost their jobs at the Newstan Mine, at Fassifern, when it was returned to “care and maintenance mode” by Centennial Coal in 2014.
Wallarah 2 general manager Peter Allonby remains optimistic about the future of the Jilliby project.
“We have continued to explore opportunities to progress our proposed development,” he said in the latest Wallarah 2 newsletter.
He said an application had been lodged for a mining lease for coal-handling facilities that would enable coal from the mine to be transported to Newcastle by rail.
“In the meantime we are continuing our engineering and environmental studies with a view to lodging a minor amendment to our development application in the future,” he said.
Since 2013, Wallarah 2 has funded about 60 local community projects through its grants scheme.
The company now wants to hear from local businesses with the capacity to provide goods and services to the proposed mine during construction and operation.