KEPCO Australia’s chief operating officer Bill Vatovec visited the region on Wednesday to update locals on the progress of the proposed Bylong mine and tour the site.
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project is expected to go on public display next week.
The EIS will be available to view on the Department of Planning and Environment and there will be formal copies on display in Rylstone, the library, and the Mid-Western Regional Council chambers.
There will be six weeks to make submissions.
“The main purpose [of the visit] was to give the region an update on where the project is up to,” Mr Vatovec said.
“The EIS is about to be formally exhibited.
“The project itself is a major investment by KEPCO.
It’s an over $1billion investment in the region, so we’re very much looking forward to the exhibition and the outcome from submissions to ensure that we’ve got a good plan moving forward.
“With the EIS being on exhibition later this month we anticipate that – subject to regulatory approvals and meeting all of the stakeholder expectations – approval will be made in the first quarter of 2017.
Then construction for a period of 18 months and we’ll see full operation by the later part of 2018.”
Mr Vatovec added that the total lifespan of the project will last about 30 years over two stages and that it was an important operation for the company.
“The project itself is looking at developing two open-cut and an underground mine,” he said.
“The two open cuts will be for a period of eight years – which includes two years of rehabilitation – and the underground mine has a life of over 20 years.
“With operations we’re looking at a capacity of about $6.5million tonnes raw with a product estimated to be between 4 and 4.5 million tonnes.
“This coal has been specifically chosen because of the quality, its energy component and its low emissions for the Korean utilities which is going to be the main destination.
“KEPCO is the largest power utility company in Korea and Asia and they are looking at increasing their importation of coal from 80 to 120 million tons, and Bylong Valley coal is the critical catalyst for that importation.”
Source: Sam Potts, Mudgee Guardian, 18 September 2015
Link: http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/3356955/bylong-coal-project-eis-to-go-on-display/
