Department of Environment and Science approve New Acland stage three expansion Environmental Authority approved

The Department of Environment and Science has approved an amended Environmental Authority for the proposed third stage of the contentious New Acland mine.

THE Department of Environment and Science has approved an amended Environmental Authority for the planned third stage of the New Acland project.

The approval comes following recommendations of the Land Court decision and the Coordinator General.

In December last year the Land Court of Queensland recommended that the amended be granted, subject to noise and dust controls.

In a statement a DES spokesperson said the Environmental Authority would only take effect once a mining tenure has been granted, which is yet to be provided.

The authority includes a number of strict conditions, which include requirements that air and noise emissions are managed and monitored so that limits are not exceeded.

“Should there be any activity prior to all approvals being granted, the independent regulator will monitor compliance with environmental obligations in accordance with the EA,” the statement read.

NAC Stage 3 is estimated to employ up to 600 workers during construction, 400 when operational and be worth about $1 billion to the local economy.

In a statement the mine’s owners, New Hope Group, said the development came after six months of “extensive consultation” between the mining company and key stakeholders.

Yesterday’s decision on the expansion of the mine west of Toowoomba comes after 15 years of legal challenges and clears one of the final three hurdles to the project.

The mine still needs to receive a lease from the Palaszczuk government as well as an associated water licence.

The mine has been in limbo since November 2021 when the last coal was extracted from the stage 2 pit, with some 100 staff laid off in the past 12 months.