Company behind Bylong Valley mine slams Independent Planning Commission

A South Korean company seeking approval for a coal mine in the state’s Central West has written a scathing response to the Independent Planning Commission after it refused to green light the project.

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A South Korean company seeking approval for a coal mine in the state’s Central West has written a scathing response to the Independent Planning Commission after it refused to green light the project over an expired certificate.

KEPCO was advised its project in the Bylong Valley — slated to deliver up to 650 jobs — would not progress because a “gateway certificate” lodged five years ago at the start of the assessment process had lapsed.

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee has accused the NSW Department of Planning of being on a “go-slow”. Picture: Sam Mooy

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Gateway certificates are needed to certify that a project has an acceptable impact on the surrounding agricultural land.

It comes after the NSW Minerals Council accused the Department of Planning of being on a “go-slow while jobs in our regions go begging”.

In a letter to the IPC, KEPCO Australia chief operating officer William Vatovec said it was extremely disappointing the issue had been raised “at this very late and critical stage of the assessment process”.

He said the IPC should have raised the issue sooner and “not three months after … the Commission asserts the Gateway Certificate ‘expired’” on April 15.

“In KEPCO’s view, the Commission has had more than ample time to consider, assess and determine … the SSD (state significant development) application,” Mr Vatovec wrote.

He said the Department of Planning and Environment’s final assessment report was released in October 2018, giving the IPC a six-month window to assess the project before the certificate expired.

Mr Vatovec also noted the IPC released a statement on May 1 — after the certificate had “expired” — stating it was “continuing deliberations in this case”.

“The representations made in the statement are inconsistent with the Preliminary View now held by the Commission,” he wrote.

The IPC will take KEPCO’s response into consideration in determining whether the project can proceed without a current certificate.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes has rejected suggestions of a “go-slow” in the assessment of state significant projects in NSW.