Wallarah 2 Coal Mine gets the green light with mining leases
Wallarah 2 could be operational within three years after the State Government granted the controversial project its mining lease.
- Central Coast Council still feeling financial burden of amalgamation in Budget 2019-20
- Central Coast restaurants: Cue and Crew The Entrance North
The “ultimate objective” of the Wallarah 2 Coal Mine has been achieved, allowing the mine to finally move forward.
Two mining leases have been approved by the State Government for the controversial longwall mine to be built underneath the Yarramalong and Dooralong valleys. The project is expected to extract up to 5 million tonnes of export thermal coal per year.
Wyong Coal Pty Limited project manager Kenny Barry told the Express the team were thrilled following the news.
“The mining leases were really the ultimate objective, allowing us to go forward and start to construct and build,” he said. “We are really happy with that.”
Mr Barry said the next step was the finalisation of management plans prior to the start of construction.
“We’ll be working to refine those plans to move the mine forward over the next six to 12 months. Hopefully all things being equal we will be on coal by late 2021, more likely 2022.”
He said the project had been ongoing for the past 24 years. The Australian Coal Alliance has been the strongest objectors to the mine, claiming it will harm the coast’s water supply.
“It’s been a long process with countless challenges,” Mr Barry said.
“There’s been ups and downs throughout the long and rigorous process. But we have hung in there.
“The mining leases are a testament to our management plan. Everything that we have put together, and the science that went into all of the assessments, was rock solid.”
The CFMEU Mining and Energy northern district president Peter Jordan said the mine ticked all the regulatory boxes.
“Our industry needs fair rules that are consistently applied to give operators, investors and workers some certainty,” Mr Jordan said.
He said the decision recognised the “rigorous assessment process the Wallarah 2 project has been through”.
“The community has been waiting for a long time for the jobs that will flow from this project,” he said.
The mine received State Government approval in January 2018, and Federal Government approval in 2019. A Land and Environment Court case against the mine, lodged by the ACA, was recently thrown out of court.
Elderly man dies five days after car rollover
A man, 77, has died in hospital five days after the car he was travelling in hit an embankment and rolled on the Old Pacific Highway. Here’s what we know.
Jealous ice addict jailed for horrifying hammer attack
An ice addict was “motivated by jealousy” when she bludgeoned her friend with a hammer so hard that parts of her brain were spilt out on the floor, leaving the victim permanently in a wheelchair.