{"id":1139226,"date":"2019-09-19T08:15:24","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T13:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=1002246"},"modified":"2019-09-19T08:15:24","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T13:15:24","slug":"kepco-bylongs-coal-mine-in-australia-denied-development-consent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1139226","title":{"rendered":"Kepco Bylong\u2019s coal mine in Australia denied development consent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The New South Wales Government\u2019s Independent Planning Commission refused development consent for Kepco Bylong Australia&#8217;s coal mine near Mudgee, in the Australian state&#8217;s Central West region.<\/p>\n<div class='d-flex justify-content-center'>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Commission cited concerns about long-lasting environmental, agricultural and heritage impacts as the main reasons for the refusal.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Independent Commission considered problematical the greenhouse gas aspects of the project<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Prior to making the decision, three commissioners were instructed to conduct meetings with the company, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, the Mid-Western Regional and Muswellbrook Shire Councils and the Bylong Valley Protection Alliance to discuss the proposed mine.<\/p>\n<p>The commissioners also conducted an inspection of the site and surrounding area and held a public meeting in Mudgee to listen to the community&#8217;s views.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In their final statement, they said that after considering all the evidence and weighing the community\u2019s concerns, they decided to refuse development consent for the mine.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While the Commission found the mine&#8217;s predicted air quality, biodiversity, noise, subsidence and visual impacts are acceptable and\/or can be effectively managed or mitigated, it raised significant concern about other longer-lasting environmental impacts,&#8221; the document reads.<\/p>\n<p>The other environmental issues cited are the fact that, in their view, the groundwater impacts would be unacceptable; that there is no evidence to support Kepco&#8217;s claim that impacted Biophysical Strategic Agricultural Land or BSAL can be rehabilitated post-mining to BSAL-equivalent given the expected level of disturbance to the existing natural landscape; and finally, the fact that a recreated landscape post-mining is very unlikely to retain the same aesthetic, scenic, heritage and natural values.<\/p>\n<p>The Australian subsidiary of Korea&#8217;s Electric Power Corporation or Kepco sought approval to develop an open-pit and underground coal mine in the Bylong Valley to extract up to 120 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal over 25 years for the thermal coal export market.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The operation was expected to employ up to 645 people during peak construction and up to 450 people during peak operation, as well as generate A$290 million in royalties for New South Wales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An independent commission found that the mine would have had long-lasting environmental, agricultural and heritage impacts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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