KEPCO Bylong Australia (KEPCO) has released key details of the workforce strategy for the company’s Bylong Coal Project that has been lodged with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
KEPCO Australia chief operating officer Bill Vatovec said the project will require up to 800 people during construction and up to 470 people during operations.
“As part of the project’s commitment to the region KEPCO will encourage the operations workforce to relocate permanently to within a one hour commute of the project boundary,” Mr Vatovec.
“This will see the vast majority of the project’s workforce residing in the Mid-Western Regional Council area with most workers expected to reside in Mudgee following the future Wollar Road upgrade.
“The Mudgee region is predicted to see strong population growth in the next 20 years driven in part by a number of mining projects and we are seeking to work closely with the council which is already actively planning services to accommodate this growth,” Mr Vatovec said.
The project will operate a Worker Accommodation Facility (WAF) in Bylong during the first six years of the project to support the construction phase.
“The WAF is a critical component of the project’s early life to manage the specialist workers who will be required for the mine construction,” Mr Vatovec said.
“The construction phase workforce will be of a dynamic and varying profile and the WAF provides the most suitable method to accommodate these specialist workers.
“We are very mindful of potential impacts to Mudgee’s important tourism and visitor economy. Operation of the WAF and on-site accommodation during the construction phase will help ensure short-term accommodation is preserved for visitors.
“It would be irresponsible of KEPCO to house these specialised workers in short-term accommodation as this would absorb almost all available bed space in the region and have a negative flow on effect to the wider tourism industry.
“KEPCO has also committed to making its properties in the Bylong Valley available to staff which is likely to result in up to 20 new families relocating during operations,” Mr Vatovec said.
KEPCO has lodged a State Significant Development Application (DA) for the Bylong Coal Project with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. The project’s Environmental Impact Statement is anticipated to be placed on public exhibition by the department in the near future.
Source: Elle Watson, Mudgee Guardian, 9 Sep 2015
Link: http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/3326035/kepco-lodges-plans-for-bylong-coal-project-that-could-create-800-jobs/
