OREANDA-NEWS.  Rio Tinto is calling on the NSW Government to rule out any further changes to the assessment process for Mount Thorley Warkworth mine.

The Minister for Planning has directed the Planning Assessment Commission to hold another public hearing on applications to continue operating the 30 year old mine, following a proposed retrospective change to a State Environmental Planning Policy.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia chief operating officer Chris Salisbury said “Introducing a retrospective change to the Mining SEPP at the very end of this assessment process has created a great deal of uncertainty for everyone involved, from our workforce, to the businesses who supply us and community members, and has resulted in further delays.

“The Minister for Planning can restore confidence in the planning system by ensuring the Planning Assessment Commission makes a prompt determination following the public hearing.

“We’ve now spent close to six years trying to secure approval to continue operating a mine that provides jobs for 1300 people and spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year with other businesses throughout the Upper Hunter and across NSW.

“Our proposals meet all of the relevant NSW Government planning policies and requirements, and the strong support in the community has again been demonstrated with more than 2800 positive submissions in the latest public comment period.”

The Department of Planning and Environment has considered the proposed change to the State Environmental Planning Policy and found it does not alter its assessment that the benefits of allowing mining to continue at Mount Thorley Warkworth outweigh the impacts.

“There is a clear and compelling case to allow mining to continue at Mount Thorley Warkworth, with the significant benefits this will bring for NSW and communities in the Hunter Valley,” Mr Salisbury said.

“Rigorous independent analysis has shown Mount Thorley Warkworth will deliver $1.5 billion to the NSW economy in the form of wages, royalties and taxes over coming decades, if mining is allowed to continue.

“A comprehensive range of management measures has been developed, such as completing the noise attenuation of all Mount Thorley Warkworth diesel powered heavy mining equipment and providing more than 2800 hectares in environmental offsets.

“We firmly believe there can be a strong future for both Mount Thorley Warkworth mine and the village of Bulga, and we are committed to working with community members.”

Key facts

  • Mount Thorley Warkworth has been part of the Singleton community for 30 years and is seeking permission to continue operating until 2036, on land it owns and within existing mining leases.
  • The current planning applications to continue mining have been through a rigorous assessment process including two public comment periods and a public hearing. The applications have been twice recommended for approval by the Department of Planning and Environment, which found the benefits to NSW outweigh the impacts.
  • During the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) process the Department received close to 1900 individual supporting submissions and those numbers have been sustained during the two Planning Assessment Commission calls for submissions. More than 2800 further supporting submissions have been received by the Planning Assessment Commission during the current public comment period, following the proposed changes to the State Environmental Planning Policy. A recent New South Wales Minerals Council survey of more than 600 Singleton residents revealed that close to 70 per cent support the approval of our applications.
  • Benefits of its continued operation include:
      • $1.5 billion to the NSW economy in the form of wages, royalties and taxes over the life of the mine
      • An offer to commit1800 hectares towards a proposed national park in the Upper Hunter as part of more than 2800 hectares in offsets 
      • $1.7 million per year commitment to training and employment programmes
      • In 2014, the mine spent $154 million with 196 local suppliers, $400 million with 530 NSW suppliers and $629 million with 743 suppliers across Australia.
  • The mine is currently 4.5 kilometres from Bulga village and would still be around 2.6 kilometres in 2031 at the closest extent of our proposal.
  • The community, NSW Government and Rio Tinto do not support the relocation of Bulga village and the Department of Planning and Environment’s Assessment Report states that the relocation of Bulga village is not justified.
  • A comprehensive range of management measures are proposed including:
      • Completing the noise attenuation of all Mount Thorley Warkworth diesel powered heavy mining equipment by the end of 2016. 
      • A significant regeneration programme to increase the area of the endangered Warkworth Sands Woodlands has already commenced on 83 ha, and an additional 160 ha to regenerate in future programmes.
      • Reducing the overall size and number of final voids if approval is granted to continue mining. Under the existing development consents there will be two final voids, which would be replaced with a single, smaller final void. This will be achieved by using material from ongoing mining in the Warkworth part of our operation to fill in the existing void at Mount Thorley. The final void will be largely hidden from view due to the surrounding landscape and extensive rehabilitation works.