Of 741 submissions to the Department of Planning and Environment on the Wilpinjong Extension Project, 633 opposed the proposal and 105 were in support.
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Three submissions made comments on the proposal but did not support or oppose it.
The Wilpinjong Extension Project would include a new open cut pit east of existing operations and extensions to existing open cut pits, extending the life of the mine by seven years to 2033.
Submissions opposing the project raised issues including the social impacts, including loss of population in the Bylong-Wollar area, noise, air quality, the effect on Aboriginal cultural heritage, loss of biodiversity, the effect on ground and surface water, and economic justification of the project.
The majority of submissions in support of the project were from residents living between 15 and 50km of the mine, including Mudgee and Gulgong, who put forward arguments for the employment and socio-economic benefits of the mine.
The project has a capital investment of $172.5 milion and would generate around $190 million in royalties for the NSW Government, as well as an increase in direct and indirect spending in the region of $101 million in capital investment.
It would increase peak operational employment hours from 550 to 625 and also employ around 100 more people during the first 18 months of construction and development.
The project would disturb around 1000 hectares of land, including clearing of 354 hectares of native woodland vegetation, 19 hectares of endangered ecological communities and 190 hectares of threatened Regent Honeyeater habitat.
Wilpinjong proposes to offset this by adding 1000 hectares to existing conservation reserves, rehabilitating almost 3000 hectares of land disturbed by mining to woodland, and contributing $660,000 towards a Regent Honeyeater recovery program.
The project will affect Aboriginal cultural sites, including three of high local significance, including rock shelters with artefacts and an ochre quarry. The Department has found that it would not be possible to avoid these sites without costs in the order of $127 million, and has recommended that a “salvage program” be devised for these sites.
The Department has concluded that the benefits of the projects outweighs its cost, and the project is “approvable” subject to stringent conditions.
