Alpha coal project given environmental approval
Alpha coal project given environmental approval
Posted on Friday, August 09 2013 at 3:13 PM
Clive Palmer’s $6.4 billion mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin has been given environmental approval by the State Government.
The Waratah Coal project in Alpha is expected to create 3500
construction jobs and more than 2300 operational jobs, according to the Deputy
Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff
Seeney.
It will produce more than 40 million tonnes of thermal coal
for export each year over an expected life of about 30 years.
“It’s another major infrastructure decision for development
of the Galilee Basin and I very much hope the Commonwealth doesn’t now hold up
its approval and delay another vital project for the Queensland economy,”
Seeney says.
The massive thermal coal mine has been approved following an
Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) study by Clive Palmer’s company, Waratah
Coal.
Coordinator-General Barry Boe says the project is also being
assessed in a parallel EIS under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 and also needs Commonwealth approval before it
can commence.
The project, also known as the China First Project, is
proposed to consist of a combination of open cut and underground mining. It
involves the development of a new coal mine and a rail line linking Alpha to
Abbot Point, near Bowen.
Boe says the release of his evaluation report, including the
conditional approval, came after more than four years of environmental
assessment and public consultation.
“The conditions establish clear principles and procedures to
manage matters, including surface and groundwater impacts, rail line flooding
and social impacts,” he says.
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