BY OLIVIA DILLON
Whitehaven Coal's underground Narrabri mine has received planning approval for its proposed extension.
The proposal will see the mine's longwall operations extended, and the life of the site will be prolonged by 13 years until 2044.
The company says the move will be a lifeline for hundreds of jobs in the region, while also allowing royalty payments to the NSW government to continue for more than a decade.
However, opponents of the project, including the Lock the Gate Alliance, say the extension will also be responsible for nearly half a billion tonnes of carbon emissions.
National Coordinator for the Lock the Gate Alliance, Georgina Woods, said the expansion of the Narrabri mine will make the site responsible for the highest volume of direct and indirect carbon emissions of any coal project regulated by the Independent Planning Commission.
"We simply can't afford to lock in further methane and carbon dioxide emissions in the form of a coal mine expansion on this scale, especially when people in Australia are suffering the really terrible consequences of extreme climate change," she said.
Ms Woods also expressed concern for farmers in the region, noting the impacts of drawn-down groundwater on the surrounding area. She said there is expected to be "at least eight or nine" farm bores affected by the coal mine, however local farmers believe this number to be much higher.
"The underground mine also goes beneath the Pilliga Forest, which is a really crucial habitat refuge for threatened species, and because the longwall panels are so wide and so long, it's going to cause significant disruption on the surface and require clearing in the forest," she said.
The project will go before a public hearing of the state's Independent Planning Commission on February 14.
"We are now relying on the Independent Planning Commission to review this mining project in detail and hear from the local community, just how poor a record Whitehaven Coal has. They need to reject this coal mine expansion, not just in the interest of preventing climate change, but also to safeguard the groundwater resources that farmers in the Namoi rely on for their livelihoods," Ms Woods said.
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| Image: Whitehaven Coal website |
