WHITEHAVEN will have to reduce the amount of coal it extracts from its proposed Vickery coal mine extension by 11 million tonnes due to an "administrative oversight".
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In an amended report to the state government, Whitehaven said the issue "arose from an administrative oversight of the Division of Resources and Energy", when a mining lease was granted for "mining purposes", such as waste emplacement and water infrastructure, but not "coal extraction".
The total amount of coal extracted from the mine will be reduced by 6.5 per cent, from 179 million tonnes to 168 million tonnes.
The amended report also reveals the drop in production would "result in a reduction in net benefits to NSW of $45 million".
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However, there will be no change to the peak production rate, disturbance footprint, mine life, workforce or hours of operation.
Other than a drop in greenhouse gas emissions, the environmental impacts of the mine will remain the same and no changes in "monitoring, mitigation and management measures" will be necessary.
A letter from the NSW Division of Resources and Geosciences flagged the issue with Whitehaven in October 2018. The affected area, Mining Lease 1718, is the south-eastern corner of the Vickery mine site.
The mine extension is still yet to be given the green light by the state government, who is currently assessing the project, before handing it back to the Independent Planning Commission, who will make the final determination.
Narrabri Shire Council recently pulled its support of the project, due to "inflated job numbers" and a disagreement over a voluntary planning agreement (VPA).
Narrabri councillors also voted to write to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), to inform the organisation of the council's decision.
Council has requested a VPA of $14.87 million to offset the impacts the mine will have on the community of Boggabri. However, the company only offered $3.2 million, or $160,000 for each year the mine operates.
A council report stated it was "difficult to have confidence" in the job figures put forward by Whitehaven, as it had "not revealed precise workforce data".
"They have not been able to provide a reasonable explanation as to why workforce projections have increased so dramatically," the report stated.
Jamieson Murphy
Newcastle Herald news director. Interested in any and all yarns. Whisper g'day mate to me at jamieson.murphy@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Newcastle Herald news director. Interested in any and all yarns. Whisper g'day mate to me at jamieson.murphy@austcommunitymedia.com.au
