RSS Feed
April 22nd, 2013 
Peter Nolan
MINING giant Rio has lodged a Supreme Court appeal against a decision blocking it from expanding a coal mine.
Rio-owned subsidiary Coal & Allied is appealing against last week’s NSW Land and Environment Court decision not to allow the Mt Thorley Warkworth mine to be expanded.
While announcing the NSW appeal, the company also said it had cut the jobs of 40 employees and contractors from the mine on Monday as part of a review that it announced after last week’s decision.
Last week’s events overturned the 2012 NSW government approval of the project.
Coal & Allied acting managing director Darren Yeates said the court’s decision was without precedent, overturning a three-and-half-year approval process including state, independent and Commonwealth support.
It set an alarming precedent and brought into question the ability to successfully secure development consents for major projects in NSW, he said.
“Mount Thorley Warkworth mine has been operating for 30 years and this rejection threatens the jobs of the 1300 employees who rely on its future,” Mr Yeates said in a statement.
The company had spent more than $600 million with close to 1000 suppliers in relation to the mine last year, he said.
“The unfortunate reality is this decision has come at a time when the Australian coal industry is struggling to remain globally competitive in the face of high costs, a strong Australian dollar and low prices,” Mr Yeates said.
Coal & Allied wants to expand the life of the mine by 12 years to 2033, producing 264 million tonnes of coal on current rates of 12 million tonnes a year.
Justice Brian Preston, chief judge of the NSW Land and Environment Court, cited adverse environmental and social concerns on the community as reasons for his decision.
The Bulga-Milbrodale Progress Association said the Hunter Valley community of Bulga would have been destroyed as it was subjected to noise, dust and other social impacts.
Views: 0
Posted in 
