We’ve had a whip around the state to provide you with a small sample of proposed mining and energy projects to keep your eye on, and updates on current developments.
1 CARMICHAEL COAL MINE & RAIL PROJECT
Who: Adani Mining
What: $16.5 billion coal and rail project
Where: The Galilee Basin in Central Queensland, about 160km northwest of Clermont
Why: The mine is expected to produce 60Mtpa over a lifespan of about 60-90 years.
You don’t say: The project will reportedly supply Indian power plants with enough coal to generate electricity for up to 100 million people.
Status: Federal approval of the mine was overturned in August, before giving the green light again in October with 30 “strict” conditions. In November, the Australian Conservation Foundation lodged fresh papers to challenge the mine in court.
2 COLTON COAL PROJECT
Who: New Hope Group
What: Open cut coking coal mine
Where: The Wide Bay Burnett region, 11km north of Maryborough and 2km from Aldershot
Why: The mine is expected to produce 0.5Mtpa open cut coal mine over a ten-year period.
You don’t say: The Colton Project area lies in the Burrum Coal Fields where small-scale underground mining was carried out from 1865 until the late 1990s.
Status: The former Liberal National Party Government gave conditional approval to the mine last year. The updated EMP for the project was submitted in September 2011 and is being assessed by the relevant government authorities. The mine is currently being challenged by activists, who claim it will damage surrounding farmland.
3 CHARLIE DEVELOPMENT
Who: QCG, with joint venture partners China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Tokyo Gas
What: $1.7 billion LNG development
Where: West of Wandoan, in the Surat Basin
Why: The two-year development, which is expected to create 1600 jobs, will see the sinking of 300-400 wells, as well as a large field compression station and associated pipelines and facilities which will feed into existing gas processing and water infrastructure at Woleebee Creek.
You don’t say: The works are part of the continuous development of QGC’s tenements in the Surat Basin to sustain natural gas supply to both domestic customers and the two-train Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) liquefaction plant on Curtis Island, near Gladstone.
Status: The investment, which follows receipt of Commonwealth and State Government environmental approvals, has been approved by QGC’s parent company BG Group and the joint venture partners.
4 WILKIE CREEK COAL PROJECT
Who: Wholly owned subsidiary of Exergen, Sekitan Resources
What: Open cut coal mine
Where: West of Toowoomba
Why: The mine will create 120 local jobs, and produce 600 million tonnes of coal
You don’t say: Peabody bought Wilkie Creek in 2002, and the mine ceased operations in 2013.
Status: Sekitan Resources entered into a conditional agreement with Peabody for the acquisition of the Wilkie Creek Mine for $10m. Plans are to restart the mine later this year, mining the existing open pit, before reaching full capacity next year. They are hoping for first coal out of the ground in December, with first shipment out by March next year. They will spend $16 million on a new wash plant.
5 ISAAC PLAINS
Who: Stanmore Coal
What: Coking and thermal coal mine
Where: East of Moranbah in the Bowen Basin
Why: The mine is already established with mining and transportation infrastructure already in place. It has historically targeted over 2Mtpa of coal.
You don’t say: The mine commenced production in 2006 as a truck shovel operation, dragline operations commenced in 2011/2012, and was placed on care and maintenance in late 2014. Stanmore purchased the mothballed mine for just $1 in July.
Status: First coal is anticipated in the first half of calendar 2016.
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