NSW planning commission highlights concerns about Kepco coal mine

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The New South Wales Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC) has raised concerns around the proposed 6.5-million-tonne-a-year Bylong coal project being developed by Korea’s Kepco.

In its review of the proposed project, which will consist of two opencut mines with an expected mine life of around 25 years, the PAC raised concerns around the “uncertainty” and “incomplete” information on the risks and benefits of the project.

The commission concluded that, for a greenfield proposal in a location recognised for its agricultural capacity, exceptional scenic value and heritage importance, caution and great care would be required in weighing the benefits and costs of the project, in order to arrive at a balanced decision about competing land uses and interests in the Bylong Valley.

The PAC also found that the assessment of groundwater highlighted persistent uncertainty about the availability of water resources for the project, and for agriculture and other land uses, and uncertainty in the agricultural mitigation strategies, particularly in relation to the restoration of disturbed land to sustainable agricultural uses, and the provision of make-up water to potentially affected properties.

The PAC has advised the New South Wales Minister of Environment that all aspects of the project will need to be comprehensively and cautiously considered, carefully weighted, and balanced one against another in any decision about the project.