THE proponents of the Wallarah 2 underground coalmine near Wyong have redesigned the project to eliminate the need to access land owned by Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council.
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An amended development application for the mine is on exhibition until September 5 with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
The mine would include facilities at Buttonderry, Tooheys Road at Bushells Ridge, and Blue Haven.
In 2014, the project was the subject of proceedings in the Land and Environment Court which ruled that the company must obtain the consent of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council for the application to proceed.
Darkinjung was reportedly seeking $300 million from the Korean-backed proponents of the mine for the rights to access its land for coal transport infrastructure.
The company deemed the asking price to be too steep and a stalemate developed in the negotiations.
Wallarah 2 project manager Kenny Barry said the company had been unable to obtain that consent.
“So we put our thinking caps on to find a way to avoid any impact on Aboriginal land, and therefore remove the need for consent from the Aboriginal Land Council,” he said.
“After a lot of hard work we’ve found a way to do that which also reduces environmental impacts.”
Mr Barry said that the company had re-designed the coal transportation infrastructure and sewer connection for the project.
All other aspects of the proposal remain unchanged.
“The proposed mining area, mining methods and maximum production rate remain the same,” he said.
“Coal handling and rail loading methods remain the same. Other surface infrastructure (other than coal transportation infrastructure) remains the same. The construction schedule remains the same. The operational and construction workforce and capital investment value remain the same.”
The amendment to the DA makes three changes to the original proposal:
- removal of the previously proposed rail loop and relocation of the rail spur and train load out facility to the eastern side of the main northern rail line;
- extension of a conveyor system to deliver product coal from the stockpile to the new location of the train load out facility; and
- realignment of a sewer connection.
The changes would reduce the area of disturbance of bushland at the Tooheys Road site, at Bushells Ridge, by 29 per cent, Mr Barry said.
The amended DA said the project would have an operational workforce of 300 employees – most of whom would be local residents.
“The proponent remains committed to a target of 70 per cent local employment, which equates to 210 direct locally recruited employees,” the document said.
“The proponent also commits to a target of at least 10 per cent indigenous employment, which equates to a minimum of 30 indigenous employees during the operational phase.”
The deep underground longwall mine would extract up to 5 million tonnes per annum of export quality thermal coal.
The Tooheys Road site (located north-east of the intersection of the M1 Pacific Motorway and the Motorway Link Road) would include a portal, coal handling facilities and stockpiles, water and gas management facilities, small office buildings, workshop, coal transportation infrastructure and connections to municipal water and sewerage systems.
The Buttonderry site (near the intersection of Hue Hue Road and Sparks Road) would include administration offices, a bathhouse, personnel access to the mine, ventilation shafts and water management structures.
To see the full amended application go to the Major Projects website of the Department of Planning and Environment at: majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au.