New Hope hails end of 15-year legal battle to gain final approval for New Acland coal mine restart
New Hope says the granting of a water licence means it can get on with the restart of the New Acland coal mine.
Coal miner New Hope Corporation says the Queensland government has given it the final approvals needed to reopen its New Acland mine, after a 15-year legal battle to win an extension of its life.
New Hope said the granting of a water licence for the mine puts the final block in place for the resumption of work at stage three of its New Acland mine, which was wound down last year after the company ran out of coal in its approved mining areas.
When it returns to operations, the extension will produce 5 to 7 million tonnes of thermal coal a year.
New Hope chairman Robert Millner said the grant of the water licence was a “defining” moment for the company, and would bring jobs back to the region.
“New Hope and the local communities around Acland and Oakey are celebrating that New Hope can now restart the New Acland mine where there has been mining activity for over 100 years,” he said.
“New Acland Stage 3 stacks up environmentally, socially and financially and is consistent with and delivers on the Queensland Government’s Resources Industry Development Plan.”
The extension of the New Acland operations has been at the centre of a pitched battle between the company, farmers and environmentalists for more than a decade.
Legal challenges over its approvals went all the way to the High Court, which ordered the Queensland Land Court to re-hear the approval process for the controversial coal mine in early 2021.
The Land Court gave the go-ahead for the mine in November 2021, and New Hope has been working its way through the remaining approvals since then.
New Hope says the reopening of the mine will create up to 600 regional jobs as its builds the extension to the New Acland operations, with about 400 people expected to work at the mine when it is operating.
But while Mr Millner hailed the grant of the water licence, groups opposed to the mine said they would consider their options for fresh legal challenges.
Oakey Coal Action Alliance secretary Paul King said the group would “interrogate the lawfulness” of the water licence grant.
“There is a lot riding on the grant of this water licence – farm water bores are at risk from drawdown or pollution from this mine expansion and we’ll be pursuing every avenue to protect them,” he said in a statement.
“This is what the fight has been about all along – the need to protect water relied on by farmers.”
The Queensland government said New Hope’s impact on water would be subject to strict conditions, and would be closely monitored.
New Hope shares closed down 4c to $6.89 on Thursday.
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