Sign Up
..... Australian Property Network. It's All About Property!
Categories

Posted: 2019-03-26 02:06:25

Standing beside a five-metre wide strip of cleared scrub, Adani Mining CEO Lucas Dow said he would start digging for coal today, if he was allowed.

The company claims it is ready to begin work at the Carmichael mine, but the ongoing approval process is hindering progress.

"There'll be mining pit where those folks are standing," Mr Dow said, as he gestured to a group of men in high-vis shirts standing by a grader just metres away.

"There'll be an outer pit dump for the waste material over here and an industrial area too, so that will be workshops, offices and those sorts of things."

If some imagination is needed for the pit area, the same cannot be said for the mine camp down the road which is well and truly built, albeit on a smaller scale than it will be when, or if, the mine gets into full production.

The site, 160 kilometres north-west of Clermont, is currently a ghost town with rows and rows of empty workers accommodation, gyms and a dining room.

All standing by, waiting for final environmental approval.

Future of mine hanging in balance

Lucas Dow said as soon as the State Government signed off on the black throated finch and groundwater ecosystem management plans, excavation would begin.

The Federal Government also needs to approve the groundwater management plan, but Mr Dow said be believed that was not far away.

He said the Queensland Government's approvals had not been as forthcoming.

He said the company started the environmental impact assessment process in 2010 and was still waiting on final approval of management plans nine years later.

"So right now, our greatest concern, and our biggest threat, is that the State Government continues to move the goalposts because ultimately we are ready to go," Mr Dow said.

"We've got infrastructure ready to go, we've got people ready to go. We have had 14,500 people say that they want to work with us. We want to get on and start delivering these jobs for regional Queensland."

Mr Dow said he had not experienced delays like these in his 20 years in the mining industry.

"This is the first time that I've been involved in this level of management plan, typically these things are resolved between your environmental officer and the environmental scientist at the department," he said.

"To put it into context, we've been working with the State department for over 18 months — this is the seventh iteration of the black throated finch management plans."

State Government blames Federal Government

The State Government said it was the Federal Government holding up the project.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch told the ABC in a statement that she was still awaiting an important report.

"Right now, the ones in the way of this project are in Canberra," she said.

"The Department of Environment and Science can't progress its assessment of Adani's groundwater report until the Federal Government gives the CSIRO report to them.

"It hasn't, and that's despite requests to the Federal Minister and her department."

In response, a spokesperson for the Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price said the report was still not on her desk.

"The Department of the Environment and Energy is carrying out a thorough review of Adani's management plans and the report," the spokesperson said.

"The Minister has not yet received them."

What about the controversial rail line?

At one stage, the Carmichael Coal mine was set to be the world's largest, but it is now looking to produce less than half of the 60 million tonnes it was approved to extract.

That is still a lot of coal to get to port for export, but Adani said it would not be an issue.

A 388-kilometre rail line from the mine to Abbot Point was one of the most controversial elements of the original mine proposal but now a much scaled-down plan for rail haulage is awaiting final approval.

Mr Dow said he believed that it would be forthcoming.

"What we are now building is a 200-kilometre narrow gauge rail line that will connect into the existing network," he said.

"There's a couple of requirements in relations to our construction licence of the railway line and we are working that through with the Queensland Coordinator-General.

"We are making excellent progress and there and we don't consider it an impediment to us getting going."

View More
  • 0 Comment(s)
Captcha Challenge
Reload Image
Type in the verification code above