Glencore Valeria mine near Emerald reaches next step in approval process

A new mega mine project has taken the next step in its approval process, with documents being lodged with the Federal Government. Full details here.

A number of projects associated with a billion dollar mine project will all need assessment and approval under the EPBC act before they can begin.

The second step in the approvals process for Glencore’s Valeria coal mine, which is proposed about 27 km north-west of Emerald in the Central Highlands, included a number of referrals to the Environment Protection and Biosecurity Conservation Act, to see if a number of associated works for the project would need assessment and approval before beginning.

The $1.5 billion project is expected to deliver up to 1400 jobs during construction, and up to 950 jobs in operations.

According to the Glencore website, the Valeria Coal Project will involve a metallurgical and thermal coal resource capable of producing up to 20 million tonnes per annum Run of Mine coal over a life of 35 years.

The project will also include associated rail, water, power and communications infrastructure.

In early December, Valeria Coal Holdings Pty Ltd submitted reports to the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, with decisions being made late last month.

The documents outlined the potential environmental impacts to the native flora and fauna as a result of the project and its associated infrastructure, which included the mine itself and a rail chain from the mine site to the Aurizon Goonyella Coal Chain.

Documents also show the proposed start dates for the “action” as November 1, 2024, with an end date of December 1, 2067.

In the report for the mine site, the document says the mine site, including on-site construction workers accommodation camp, would comprise about 28,088 hectares in size.

The mine access road would be about 1,148ha, and a temporary site access track would be about 265ha.

The document lists potential impacts to a number of species including brigalow, greater gliders, as well as other species of bird.

On January 14, the decisions for all referrals was made publicly available on the EPBC website and all five that were submitted were deemed as projects that required assessment and approval under the EPBC Act before commencing.

The next stage of the approvals process with require the company to draft terms of reference.

For more information on the project, visit the website.