Coal news and updates

Hume Coal announces plans to build Southern Highlands mine in New South Wales

Hume Coal has announced plans to build an underground coal mine in the New South Wales Southern Highlands.

The company claims the mine would be low-impact and environmentally sensitive, extracting coal for steel making, from the Wongawilli coal seam in the Sutton Forest region.

Project director Greig Duncan said 35 per cent of coal would be mined from available reserves with minimal impact on surface infrastructure and groundwater.

"This is what we call a first workings mine, it is not a longwall mine, and it is designed in such a way that there will be minimal subsidence and no impact on surface infrastructure or long term impact on the water within the aquifers," Mr Duncan said.

The company claims it will use an "innovative mining system" that will be an "Australian first."

"It's a system of mining that hasn't been used in Australia. It relies on existing technology and what it does, it drives a series of roadways in the coal seam," Mr Duncan said.

"We're leaving large pillars of coal there to maintain strata above the coal seam so it doesn't fracture.

"We've designed it in such a way that a large majority of the surface infrastructure is out of sight, out of mind, and the mining process is all underground so it won't be visible to anyone," he said.

Plans for the project will be submitted to the state government next week and if approved, Mr Duncan said the mine will create 300 jobs.

He said it will be required that all employees live in the local area.

"For an investment of in excess of $700 million we will employ 300 people on a permanent basis and they will come from the [Southern] Highlands and they will be required to live in Southern Highlands as part of their employment," Me Duncan said.

"And that's why we can confidently say there will be no drive in, drive out, and there will be no fly in, fly out."

The company's need to access private land for exploratory drilling has, in the past, lead to lengthy blockades and legal action from residents

Mr Duncan said Hume Coal will still need to gain access to properties in the future.

"There is still a need to do drilling on properties and that will be ongoing for quite a long period of time," he said.

"It won't be continuous, it will be intermittent, and basically drilling ahead as the mine plan develops."

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