PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Queensland government has finalised the terms of reference (TOR) for coal miner New Hope Coal’s expansion of its New Acland mine, clearing the way for a new environmental-impact statement (EIS) for the scaled-down project.

The new EIS would replace one issued in 2007, with the project having since been dramatically reduced in size owing to the state government’s concerns, said Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jeff Seeney.

“The revised expansion of the existing New Acland opencut coal mine will significantly reduce its impact on agricultural land and local communities,” he said.

“It differs from the original proposal in that mining over the town of Acland is no longer proposed, Lagoon Creek would not be diverted, the Jondaryan rail load-out facility would be moved 8 km from the town, and mining would move 10 km from Oakey.

“It was decided to offer an extended comment period of nine weeks on the draft terms of reference so the community could fully assess them and comment on New Hope Coal’s modified proposal, which is 2 300 ha smaller than the original proposal put forward in 2007.”


Seeney said 67 submissions were lodged during the 2007 EIS, which included concerns about strategic cropping land, flooding, groundwater and air and noise impacts.


He said the Coordinator-General had taken these concerns into consideration in revising the TOR. New Hope Coal must now address the TOR in its new EIS as part of the assessment under state and commonwealth laws.

The TOR now required the EIS to include a strategy to enhance the amenity of the town of Acland, and New Hope would also need to develop a local stakeholder management plan for potentially affected residents in the vicinity of the project.

The plan would address impacts management, consultation strategies and complaints resolution for residents affected by the project. It would also show how particular impacts and concerns raised by the residents, and mitigation measures suggested by residents, will be considered and adopted into the plan.



Seeney said that, if approved, the A$700-million mine expansion was expected to create 220 construction and 570 operational jobs. The New Acland project is the proposed third stage of the New Acland coal mine. The project will produce up to ten-million tons a year of thermal coal.

New Hope Coal had until March 2015 to submit its EIS to the Coordinator-General.