https://www.miningweekly.com

Enviro group turns to NSW court to block Springvale approval

Enviro group turns to NSW court to block Springvale approval

Photo by Bloombeg

11th January 2016

By: Esmarie Iannucci

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

  

Font size: - +

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Environmentalist group 4nature has launched legal proceedings in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court, challenging the state government’s approval of Centennial Coal’s Springvale underground coal mine.

In September last year, the New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) approved an extension of the current Springvale coal mine, allowing the mine to produce at its current level of 4.5-million tonnes a year for another 13 years.

The project’s development consent had initially been set to expire at the end of September last year.

4nature president Andrew Cox said on Monday that the litigation was launched to uphold the law and protect the water quality of the major Blue Mountains river and Sydney’s drinking water.

“The extension to the Springvale coal mine was approved in September, but we contend that the law applying to developments in Sydney’s drinking water catchments, introduced to protect the quality of Sydney’s drinking water, was not correctly applied.”

‘The law requires that the New South Wales government’s PAC had to be satisfied that the mine would have a “neutral or beneficial impact” on water quality. We say that the PAC was not satisfied, nor could it have been,” said Cox.

He pointed out that the mine was set to discharge up to 19-million litres of water laden with nutrients, salt, metals and other contaminants into the Coxs river each day, before it flowed into Warragamba dam, Sydney’s main drinking water supply.

The court was expected to hear the case on February 12, and operations at Springvale would remain unaffected.

“Over the past five years, Springvale mine has been through a rigorous and exhaustive assessment process to secure an approval to allow Springvale to continue to operate,” said Centennial spokesperson Katie Brassil.

She added that the company was confident that all issues raised during the assessment process had been addressed, adding that it was confident of retaining its approval.

Edited by Mariaan Webb
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Booyco Electronics
Booyco Electronics

Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.123 0.157s - 107pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now