Adani faces stoush over pipeline

Adani faces a possible legal challenge before it can build a water pipeline to its Carmichael mine site.

Construction can begin on the Carmichael mine but Adani will need to go through another assessment process and possible legal challenge before it can build a crucial water pipeline to the mine site.

The company was last year given the green light to construct the 110km pipeline to the Suttor River after the federal Department of Environment and Energy ruled it would not significantly affec­t the water course and trip the “water trigger”.

But a Federal Court appeal from the Australian Conservation Foundation forced the government to reveal on Wednesday that it had not properly considered public submissions when making the decision. The government will reopen Adani’s plans to public comment and reassess its ruling that the projec­t did not need to be assessed on its impacts on water resources.

It will not affect Adani’s existing approval to harvest 12.5 billion litres of floodwater from the Suttor River, ­which was granted under a separate environmental impact assessment for the mine itself.

The department did not respon­d to questions from The Australian yesterday.