KEPCO has lodged its Response to Submissions (RTS) on the Bylong Coal Project and says it has demonstrated that the mixed mining operation will have “minor impact on local agriculture”.
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KEPCO’s application to develop a $1.3 billion coal mine in Bylong is being assessed by the Department of Planning and Environment (DP&E).
The RTS addresses feedback from the community, regulators and other key stakeholders raised in response to the public exhibition of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
“In preparing the RTS, KEPCO has undertaken considerable additional works in the key areas of soils and groundwater, and as a result has demonstrated the project’s relatively minor impact on local agriculture,” KEPCO Australia chief operating officer Bill Vatovec said.
“While supplementary soils investigation work has resulted in an increase of BSAL identified in the project area, the area to be mined is low intensity grazing land which is not suitable for cropping or intensive agriculture.
“The short term nature of the project’s open cut mining area means the land can be rehabilitated and returned to the Bylong Valley’s typical agricultural activity of low intensity grazing,” Mr Vatovec said.
Additional analysis of the project’s water model supports the conclusions contained in the EIS and confirms it is a robust reasonable worst case consideration of potential impacts on the groundwater regime, KEPCO said.
“Independent technical specialists have reviewed KEPCO’s conceptual and numerical groundwater assessment and found the modelling provides reliable estimates of potential worst case impacts,” Mr Vatovec said.
“KEPCO is currently undertaking additional real time water monitoring to further verify conclusions of the existing groundwater water model and the company will keep the community updated with the results over coming months as it progresses.”
The project’s peak workforce has also been amended following detailed additional studies to further investigate its construction phase requirements and KEPCO is continuing to consult with key stakeholders on its workforce accommodation strategy and opportunities for local contractors and other businesses throughout the 25 year project life.
“KEPCO is confident the RTS demonstrates the project meets Government Policy expectations and looks forward to the next step in New South Wales’ rigorous and science-based planning assessment process,” Mr Vatovec said.
“KEPCO understands DP&E will now consider the RTS and prepare its Assessment Report, before the Development Application is reviewed by the NSW independent Planning Assessment Commission (PAC).”