People power has helped put the final nail in the coffin for a proposed new coal mine in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands.
Hume Coal Pty Ltd has been chasing approval to rip approximately 50 million tonnes of coal over 23 years from a new underground mine to be situated 7km northwest of Moss Vale. The project also includes a rail element to ship the problematic black rock to Port Kembla.
According to Hume Coal, the coal would have been primarily supplied to domestic consumers for production of steel, cement and energy; but it seems a significant amount would have also headed overseas. 400 full time jobs were to be created during construction and 300 full time positions once the mine was operational.
While creating a jobs bonanza, the mine saw significant opposition from locals and the broader community. Overall, 82.9% of the total submissions received in both the written submission periods and in the verbal submissions at a public hearing objected to the project.
Among the many concerns expressed:
- groundwater drawdown
- risks to surface water, including to Sydney’s drinking water catchment area
- local biodiversity impacts
- greenhouse gas emissions
- impacts to Aboriginal and historic heritage
- noise, aesthetics and air quality
- land use compatibility
On the emissions side of things, it was estimated ventilation gas, diesel/petrol use, upstream electricity, downstream fuel and electricity, downstream thermal and coking coal use would have generated 106,657,050 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the life of the project. And that was based on Hume Coal’s estimation.
Among its greenhouse gas mitigation commitments, Hume Coal said it would use as much renewable energy sources as possible to provide electricity to its operations and would use solar power and battery storage for the project’s Administration block. Oh, and tree planting offsets.
However, Scope 3 emissions from downstream users burning the coal were predicted to account for approximately 98% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the project.
Risks Too High
Yesterday, the IPC released its determination, stating that potential impacts of the project are too great to be reasonably managed, and the social risks to the community are high.
“The Commission ultimately finds that the stated benefits of the Project do not outweigh the adverse environmental, social and economic impacts,” says the IPC’s Statement of Reasons for Decision.
The Commission found the project’s incompatibility with the land use objectives for the area alone was reason enough for refusal, and this was compounded by groundwater and social impacts. It also noted the project’s greenhouse emissions make it inconsistent with regional objectives for the promotion of sustainable development.
People Power Pushing Coal Out The Door
The Hume Coal saga, which has been going on since 20171, ended with a positive result thanks in part to people power. That thousands in the community took the time to register their objections no doubt played a very important role in the IPC’s decision.
A driving force behind the campaign to topple the project was a group called “Battle For Berrima“, a politically non-aligned community organisation established after Hume Coal signalled its intentions.
“Our aim is to protect both the Southern Highlands and our shared water catchment from the unacceptable risks to our water, air, environment, flora & fauna and existing long term jobs and sustainable economy.”
And it would seem on this front, Battle For Berrima has achieved its goal.
A message posted by the group to its Facebook page last night states:
“We would love to be celebrating with you tonight. Throughout, we engaged with the government planning process respectfully. Thank you everybody for your support, donations, volunteering and commitment. Hopefully, once lockdown is over, we can celebrate together. A massive THANK YOU to everybody”
Generally speaking, another important action helping to push coal out the door in Australia powered by the people is the uptake of home solar power. The significant financial benefits of going solar aside, each kilowatt-hour generated from rooftop solar panels is one less kilowatt-hour that can be generated by coal or gas.
Footnotes
- Added clarification: Hume Coal lodged concurrent State significant development (SSD) applications for the project in March 2017 ↩
About Michael Bloch
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Michael Bloch,
You state in your piece: “The Hume Coal saga, which has been going on since 2017…”
Peter Martin, from Coal Free Southern Highlands, reportedly said yesterday (bold text my emphasis):
https://www.lockthegate.org.au/eleven_years_later_ipc_finally_flushes_hume_coal_down_gurgler_due_to_threat_posed_to_water_communities
It seems coal companies are being spooked by growing community backlashes to more coal exploration and coal developments. Whitehaven is reportedly trying to slip past proper planning process and community consultation to get the go-ahead for more coal exploration near Narrabri.
https://www.lockthegate.org.au/whitehaven_wants_more_coal_but_isn_t_willing_to_wait_for_locals_to_weigh_in
Good outcome and sanity prevailed….. but why do the proponents insist on wasting time and money trying to push for the coal to go ahead? It’s a sunset industry. These coal miners are putting their heads in the sand not realising they are fighting a losing battle and/or failing to see the reality of the situation with coal’s future. Banks and Insurance companies are increasingly distancing themselves from potential coal assets being stranded posing a financial liability. One has to ask the questions about the “smartness” or “intelligence” of the coal business executives and politicians. A clear case of sheer arrogance if they fail to see coal is going away.
Another nail in the coffin for the COALition…….. more nails please……
Where’s the next coal mining target to deny or stop?
Graham,
You ask: “Where’s the next coal mining target to deny or stop?”
Proposed coal projects in NSW (that I know of) currently being assessed by NSW DPIE include:
* Spur Hill Underground Coal Project (SSD-6509), current status: Prepare EIS, Max production 8.0 Mt/y ROM, duration: 25 years
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/9656
* Glendell Continued Operations Project (SSD-9349), current status: Assessment, Max production 10.0 Mt/y ROM, duration: till 2044
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/10086
* Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project (SSD-10418), current status: More Information Required, Max production 21.0 Mt/y ROM, duration: 26 years
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/26611
* Angus Place West (SSD-26254212), current status: Prepare SEARS, Max production 2.0 Mt/y ROM, duration: until end-2042
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/42631
* Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project (SSD-10269), status: More Information Required, Max production 11.0 Mt/y ROM, duration: until 2044
Recently approved coal project in NSW:
* Chain Valley Colliery – Mod 4 (SSD-5465-Mod-4), approved by DPIE on 5 Aug 2021, Max production 2.1 Mt/y ROM, duration: until end-2027
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/40581
Recently refused coal projects in NSW (that apparently still won’t die) include:
* Dendrobium Extension Project (SSD-8194), refused by IPCN on 5 Feb 2021, South32 appeal pending
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/9696
* Bylong Coal Project (SSD-6367), refused by IPCN on 18 Sep 2019, NSW Land & Environment Court upheld IPCN determination on 18 Dec 2020, KEPCO appealing decision
https://www.ipcn.nsw.gov.au/projects/2018/10/bylong-coal-project
NSW government has also recently sought community consultation to open more areas of NSW for coal exploration: https://pp.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/hawkins-rumker
And the NSW government is also considering opening other areas for coal exploration: https://www.regional.nsw.gov.au/meg/geoscience/projects/coal-resource-identification-program
IMO, deeds show how hollow the NSW government’s commitment for lowering GHG emissions is.
UPDATE
The NSW Government has declared the proposed (and as yet unseen modified) Dendrobium mine project, as State Significant Infrastructure.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-06/dendrobium-coal-mine-granted-state-significant-infrastructure/100677460
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/06/captured-by-coal-nsw-government-overturns-decision-to-block-mine-expansion
Meanwhile, the world’s first customer delivery of “green steel” produced without using coal has taken place in Sweden, according to its manufacturer.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/19/green-steel-swedish-company-ships-first-batch-made-without-using-coal