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Proposals of an underground coal mine and two open cut pits in Bylong have progressed this week after the release of Director-General’s Requirements.
The requirements are part of a planning process in which Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) must meet ahead of submitting its Environmental Assessment for the coal mine.
It has been reported KEPCO Bylong Australia will submit its Environmental Assessment by the end of 2014 for the project expected to extract up to six million tonnes of coal a year over 29 years.
Yesterday KEPCO Bylong Australia said the requirements also incorporate recommendations from NSW government agencies and the Mining and Petroleum Gateway Panel.
The gateway certificate issued to the Bylong Coal Project revealed there is likely to be insufficient groundwater to meet the demands of the mine. KEPCO also only met one of 12 criteria points for the issuing of the certificate.
KEPCO Australia Chief Operating Officer, Bill Vatovec, said the receipt of the requirements marked the beginning of the next phase of the project’s development.
“The EIS [Environmental Impact Statement] will require extensive community and stakeholder consultation and rigorous scientific assessment of the project’s development plans,” he said.
Mr Vatovec said “the requirements were some of the most comprehensive issued and clearly defines the issues an EIS must address with respect to land, local agriculture and water.”
“This includes detailed groundwater and surface water impact assessments to further investigate, test and model potential impacts and further detail assessment of the project’s potential impacts on local agriculture,” he said.
Mr Vatovec also said the EIS process would include an extensive public exhibition and submission phase.
“We are confident that, through our planning and the EIS process, we will deliver a project which meets the expectations of regulators, unlocks the economic benefits a coal mine can deliver while effectively minimising impacts on the local community and the environment,” Mr Vatovec said.