New Acland coal mine: State government clears last hurdles for massive expansion

After 15 years of controversy and protracted legal battles, the state government has given the final approvals for an expansion of the New Acland coal mine. But the approval comes with strict conditions.

Stewart Mills, Pit Operator, at New Acland Coal.

The Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water has granted New Acland Coal its water licence, clearing the way for the mine to reopen and for New Hope Group to start hiring hundreds of staff.

The decision comes about a month after it was granted a mining lease.

The water licence comes with 35 strict conditions, including that NAC offsets underground water impacted by mining activities by surrendering equivalent water entitlements.

It must also monitor the impacts on aquifers and groundwater users, implement an underground water monitoring program to track any impacts that may occur and publish the volume of underground water taken.

New Acland Coal general manager Dave O’Dwyer said the mood at the site was ecstatic.

“It is great news,” he said.

“When the head office rang me up this afternoon I was a bit taken back,” he said.

Mr O’Dywer said the team had some environmental processes to move through before he could hire new staff.

“We are hoping within a few months we’ll be moving dirt,” he said

“We have worked so hard to get this far and there has been huge support from the community and through our expressions of interest portal.

About 800 people have put their hand up to work at the mine, with the vast majority coming from the Darling Downs.

All the water used at the site will be trucked in from the Wetalla Waste Water Treatment Plant in Cranley.

The water licence governs the incidental interaction with groundwater.

Mr O’Dwyer said while he expected the licence would be approved, he didn’t think it would happen so soon.

“We have had some interaction with the department talking about some things but we didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” he said.

“We wanted to be sure the department went through its due diligence and we are really happy it has worked through that process and come forward with an answer for us.”

In December 2021, Queensland’s Land Court recommended the granting of the mining leases and issuing of a draft amended Environmental Authority for the Stage 3 development, subject to certain conditions being met.

Earlier this year NAC was granted a mining lease for Stage 3, which will see operations run for at least 10 years and employ an estimated 600 workers during construction and 400 during operation.

It also means the area of mined land will roughly double.

The final approval comes after a 15-year battle between the mine’s owner New Hope Group and a collection Oakey farmers and residents.

Opponents to the mine’s expansion have vowed to continue their fight, promising to “interrogate the lawfulness” of the state government’s 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,” Oakey Coal Action Alliance secretary Paul King said.

“The conditions suggested by the department will do nothing to stop New Hope draining groundwater. The last time the mine’s impact on groundwater was tested in a court of law, it was farmers that won the day. A law change meant that it went back to the drawing board, and now is a crucial chance to test it again.

“Extracting coal from beneath the ground drains water relied on by farmers in the surrounding district, and we believe that fact needs to be heard and considered by a court.

“We are continuing this fight to protect the ten million litres of milk produced by the dairies who rely on that groundwater.”