Coal miner New Hope has been granted conditional approval from the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to continue with the expansion of its $900 million coal mine project near Oakey on the Darling Downs in Australia.
“Following careful consideration of the Environmental Authority (EA) amendment application and all of the submissions received during the public notification period, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has approved the New Acland Coal Mine Stage 3 EA amendment application and issued the draft EA,” the Department said in a media release.
The application to expand the mine — allowing for annual coal output to jump from 4.8 million tonnes to a maximum 7.5 million tonnes — will now head to the Land Court, which is required to make a decision by mid-2016.
Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Michael Roche said that the approval is a key milestone towards securing 435 full-time jobs for locals at the New Acland mine.
“The current mine footprint runs out of coal in 2017-18. The project is also awaiting approval under federal environment law,” Mr Roche said in a statement.
“The New Acland mine workers are people who live on the Downs, contribute to the local community, and send their children to local schools. If this mine were to close – as some are campaigning to achieve – it would be a savage blow to the economic prosperity of that community.”
The Queensland authority has set out 137 strict conditions with regard to various issues such as air quality, water, noise and further 1,000 commitments.
