New Hope wins decade-old legal brawl: Acland coal mine expansion gets its final approval
The decade long legal brawl over New Hope’s Acland coal mine expansion appears to be over after the State Government granted the company a water licence, the last of the approvals the mine needed.
It followed the recent granting of a mining lease after the $900 million projectās approval had been delayed by legal appeals that went as far as the High Court.
The appeals were launched by landholders and environmentalists.
āNew Hope now holds all the primary approvals required to enable resumption of mining operations at the New Acland Mine,ā it announced to the ASX on Thursday.
New Hope chair Robert Millner said the granting of the licence was a defining moment for the company and also coincided with record prices for thermal coal that have sent the companyās shares above $6.
The company started recruiting for the workforce of about 600 needed at the project when it received its mining licence and received 700 applications.
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āNew Hope and the local communities around Acland and Oakey are celebrating that New Hope can now restart the New Acland mine where there has been mining activity for over 100 years,ā Millner said.
āNew Acland stage 3 stacks up environmentally, socially and financially and is consistent with and delivers on the Queensland Governmentās Resources Industry Development Plan.
āIt was 12 months ago that the Land Court of Queensland completed an extensive hearing and recommended the grant of the mining leases and environmental authority for New Acland stage 3.
āWe are grateful for the support we have received throughout the extensive processes to date and we are pleased that the region and Queensland can now finally begin to realise those benefits.ā
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The project was first proposed in 2010 and hit its first major hurdle when the LNP said it was oppose its approval, a decision that was then reversed, which led to accusation by former radio shock jock Alan Jones that the decision was made after political donations were made.
That was investigated by the CCC which found there was no evidence but it set in motion strong opposition to the project that coincided with the Adani (now Bravus) protests.
The Palaszczuk Government maintained a hands-off approach in recent years and said it would only grant approvals when legal appeals had been exhausted.
The landowners who protested against the project said they would āinterrogate the lawfulnessā of an associated water licence.
Oakey Coal Action Alliance secretary Paul King said there was a lot riding on the granting of the water licence.
āFarm water bores are at risk from drawdown or pollution from this mine expansion and weāll be pursuing every avenue to protect them,ā King said.
āThis is what the fight has been about all along ā the need to protect water relied on by farmers.
āThe conditions suggested by the department will do nothing to stop New Hope draining groundwater. We know New HopeĀ violates the law without a care in the world. Conditions wonāt mean a damn to this company.
āThe last time the mineās impact on groundwater was tested in a court of law, it was farmers that won the day.Ā A law change meant that it went back to the drawing board, and now is a crucial chance to test it again.ā
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