BHP Billiton has told community members it hopes to begin extracting coal for its Caroona project by 2021, while also outlining potential impacts the underground mine will have on water and farmland.
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Caroona Coal project manager Mick Lovely spoke about the company’s Gateway application and provided a project overview at a breakfast hosted by the Gunnedah Chamber of Commerce yesterday morning.
It included chamber members and representatives from Gunnedah Shire Council, mining companies and the mining industry.
BHP Billiton is expecting to receive its Gateway Certificate in three to four weeks, allowing the company to complete the long-awaited Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
It comes after it submitted its mine plan in early April – the first step of the Gateway process.
The BHP project has received a barrage of criticism since it was announced, with landholders claiming it will impact on interconnecting aquifers and prime agricultural farmland on the Liverpool Plains.
Mr Lovely told yesterday’s breakfast meeting there was a perception the company was withholding information from the community, however said there was still much work to be done before the EIS would be submitted to the state government late this year or early next year.
“There are still some landholders that are very anxious about us being there and the potential risk to property, subsidence, dust and surface and underground water,” he said.
“We are very aware we need to get it right.”
Mr Lovely also answered questions about subsidence, claiming there would be some impacts, potentially on such things as dams, fencelines, grazing or grain sheds.
“What we would have to do is compensate for that and repair that,” he said.
Mr Lovely added that subsidence happened quickly – with 70 per cent occurring in the first two to three months.
Aquifers were also discussed at the meeting, with the company saying its water modelling shows the mine will not have any impact on the highly productive alluvial and Liverpool Plains aquifers and there would not be any interconnection to other areas. Farmers however, do not agree, saying water resources are at major risk.
Mr Lovely has admitted there will be effects on the Spring Ridge jurassic and basalt aquifers.
“If a landholder loses access to water, we will have to find out alternative access, like drill other bores, to ensure they don’t lose water.”
BHP expects to hear a decision on the approvals process by the end of 2016, and if given the green light, construction will begin in 2017-2018.
