Coal news and updates

Adani Carmichael coal mine project wins support from Mackay, Isaac, Whitsunday councils

The mayors of the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regional councils met the company to show their support for the controversial Carmichael coal mine planned for the state's Galilee Basin.

After the meeting, Mackay Mayor Deirdre Comerford said there was no update on the federal re-approval of the project, after the original approval was set aside about six weeks ago.

She said there was also no discussion on where the company would get the money to finance the $16 billion proposal.

"It's clear when they've gone and spent the amount of money they have to date, purchasing Abbot Point for the price they did, and the money they've spent," she said.

"They've clearly spent billions of dollars to date, so that speculation, and people will continue to do that, but you can only judge those merits on each stage that that development process goes through.

"If anyone in this climate could pull of this project, I'd say it's Adani."

Councillor Comerford said funding and environmental approvals were not discussed.

She said the meeting was a chance for the councils to voice their support.

"It's just giving us that sense of where the project is at, just what they have overcome to be at this point in the project's journey," she said.

"It's a lot of time and a lot of money ... so you just hope going forward when governments make decisions that things can move on and not continue to see what we have of the past."

source: http://www.abc.net.au