Queensland coal mine gets environmental OK

Making mountains into mole hills

Australia’s Queensland State Government has given Bandanna Energy an environmental nod for its Springsure Creek coal mine project, southwest of Rockhampton.

The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection released a report saying the company may proceed from environmental impact assessment to submission of an environmental management plan.

“The environmental management plan is actually a key working document, which includes all the key strategies that we need to undertake on a day-by-day basis,” said Bandanna managing director, Michael Gray.

“Then as part of that, the environmental licence and the environmental authority is the key document that we get measured against, and that includes specific conditions about noise levels, water monitoring, all those sort of key activities that are required.”

The underground mine is expected to be in operation for 40 years producing up to 11 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of thermal coal, to be extracted using the longwall method.