Modification 4 Longwall 317 and 318 Modification

Please find attached Port Kembla Coal Terminal’s submission in support of the project.

Peabody plays an active role in the Illawarra community and supports a 400 strong local Metropolitan workforce.

I would like to support the proposal submitted for Metropolitan Coal Mine - Mod-4. Metropolitan Coal Mine is an important contributor to the Illawarra and NSW economies and have invested strongly in environmental strategies and upgrades to ensure that they can operate in a responsible and sustainable manner. I believe this proposal should be approved to ensure the ongoing operation of the mine.

I am deeply worried that our NSW Government is giving consideration to an expansion of the Metropolitan Coal Mine further beneath the Woronora drinking water catchment. The applicant, an American firm, Peabody, have not been able to categorically rule out the possibility of ground subsidence, despite the efforts they intend to make to minimise this. Any risk of ground subsidence places in jeopardy the drinking water supply for around 6 million people. This water resource is a life sustaining necessity, already under pressure from population growth and climate change uncertainties. Yet the Peabody proposal prioritises the profit to be made from coal - now a resource that is globally acknowledged as a source of greenhouse gas pollution and hence an agent of climate change. We cannot allow this dangerously illogical proposal to go ahead. Peabody as a corporation has a poor record of managing the environmental impacts of its business. I reference the coal sludge pollution of Camp Creek Gully and the Hacking River in 2022. Further Peabody is not genuine in its claim that the mine is important to the local economy. Peabody is an avaricious employer - I reference the recent Peabody lock out of Helensburgh miners for two full weeks, as heavy handed negotiation strategy over pay claims. These environmental and industrial relations transgressions show the true colours of Peabody as a corporation that is not genuinely of good will and therefore should not be trusted with a resource as valuable as Sydney’s drinking water. Please reject this proposal from Peabody and protect the well being of your 6 million constituents. Also could you please email me a copy of my submission, as I have been unable to print a copy as your website has been unstable.

This project will be damaging to the environment and have potentially irreversible impacts upon endangered wildlife and the sydney water supply. I oppose this extension.

I oppose Peabody's expansion of the current longwall tunnel layout. They're currently mining in LW 312, and seeking permission to expand the mine into LW317 and LW318. One of the biggest swamps in the whole catchment (S106) lies under that area.

Swamps are vital for filtering and cleaning our water, if they are damaged it's not possible to fix them, once they dry out and a fire goes through that's it. Destroyed.

Because this application is be put through as a modification the original antiquated 2009 conditions of approval will apply. These allow Peabody to just purchase offsets elsewhere if the company causes permanent damage to the swamps. Offsets are a joke and greenlight irreversible damage to this critical public asset. This mine has caused significant damage in the catchment previously, and used polyurethane grouting in a bogus attempt to 'fix' the damage. It is not possible to apply this 'solution' to swamps.

As part of the modification expansion Peabody also wants to build a new ventilation shaft in the catchment, and store coal waste and contaminated water there. To build it they'll be driving in heavy machinery and trucks… this is all in an area people are not permitted to walk in case they pollute the water.

The community do not want this coal mine. In 2020 a 10,700 signature hard copy petition asked for the mine to be shut. The state government claimed they couldn't stop the mine and refuse longwalls that have already been given in-principle approval - for fear of being sued by Peabody.

However this current modification extension has never been approved previously, so it can be refused without fear of litigation. It should be refused, for so many reasons.

If you do approve it, this will be the first new in-principal approval since the Labor government gave this mine permission to go ahead in 2009. The first new in-principal approval for mining underneath Woronora Reservoir in 16 years.

You would be approving contamination of the drinking water supply for an entire Aussie area. I hope you factor in the health of the environment and the health of those people living there when you decide on this application. It deserves a very strong and resounding HELL NO!!

And I haven’t even mentioned climate change yet… leave coal safely underground.

Thank you for considering my submission, I trust you will govern for the people, not corporations.

Trading as TLE Wollongong, we are a key supplier of electrical goods to the Metropolitan Mine in Helensburgh.

We strongly support the submission to extend the mine’s steelmaking coal operations by two years, until 2031.

Our Wollongong business employs 35 full-time and 3 part-time staff, including salespeople, delivery drivers, and administrative personnel. Any decision not to approve this extension would have a significant impact on our operations, potentially leading to job losses.

The waterways will be polluted

To Whom It May Concern
I wish to support the submission for the extension of Metropolitan Mine. I have worked in the Coal Industry for the past 44 years, in the Illawarra District. The last 7.5 years at Metropolitan.
I also have 3 sons that are, or have been, employed in the Coal Mining Industry, in the Illawarra, and wish for them to have a future that they can rely on, as I have. The people that work at Metropolitan Mine deserve a reliable future, and that will be achieved by the extension of the Project, and beyond.
The Management Team At Metropolitan have gone to extreme lengths to ensure that the mine complies with all regulations, and minimize its 'footprint' in the area.
As per the media release, Metropolitan Mine contributes, significantly, to the community, not only locally, but to the state of NSW, both economically and environmentally.

I believe the extension of the metropolitan mine will keep many people in the job for a few years, including myself as an outside supplier.
it is a great business for the economy.

I support the application as the Metropolitan Mine is a vast employer (x400) in the local Helensburgh area and also in supporting areas such as Wollongong.

Soto employes over 60 people and has worked with this mine for a number of years on a number of key structural and mechanical projects.

The investment Metropolitan MIne makes into the local area and community is significant and losing this income to the region would have a dramatic neagtive impact.

I would like to support the mine. The contributions the mine makes to the Helensburgh community is appreciated.

The project is crucial to jobs and businesses within the Illawarra

I support the Metropolitan Mine Modification Extension for its vital contribution to the Illawarra economy and its role in sustaining local jobs. The mine provides essential coking coal for BlueScope Steel, enabling the production of Australian steel that is critical for building and maintaining our nation’s infrastructure. This project ensures that Australian industries can continue to source high-quality raw materials domestically, strengthening both our regional economy and national self-reliance.

The project creates jobs and supports the local economy.

Metropolitan Colliery provides ongoing employment for the 400-strong workforce, as well as supporting local businesses, including over $200 million spent with local suppliers last year and a $324 million economic return to NSW.
Peabody plays an active role in the Helensburgh community as a sponsor of the Helensburgh Tigers Rugby League team, and supports environment programs at Holy Cross and Helensburgh Public Schools.
The reason for the modification application is to mitigate any risk to the environment, by reducing the Mine's footprint and avoiding any environmentallly sensitive Surface areas.

Please approve for the community

Coal remains a vital resource, underpinning many aspects of our lives. From cars and phones to essential infrastructure and more importantly local and national jobs. Without Metropolitans contribution of Metallurgical coal to steelmaking, many people's lives will be impacted.
The coal industry’s impact extends far beyond its immediate operations. At a local level, Metropolitan directly employs around 400 people, providing stable, well-paying jobs that support families and strengthen the regional economy. However, the benefits do not stop there. The mine’s operations generate a flow-on effect, supporting numerous suppliers, contractors, and service providers in the community. These businesses, in turn, employ their own staff, further multiplying the economic benefit.
On a broader scale, the coal produced contributes to industries and projects across the nation and internationally, reinforcing its significance to economic development and global trade. Metropolitan’s role in this chain ensures not only the supply of a critical resource for steelmaking but also the sustainability of livelihoods in the local community. In this way, coal from Metropolitan is both an industrial cornerstone and a driver of social and economic wellbeing.

Metropolitan Mine supports local suppliers and the community. Metropolitain budget for environmental sustainability protection. Example of this is investing in the structural upgrades of the surface water management. Our product supports steel production in the Illawarra as well as supplying customers overseas. Employs 400 local workforce and spends money with local suppliers.

Coal mining is one of the Illawarra’s oldest and proudest industries and we’ve been part of this community for 138 years. The coal we produce is vital for local and international steelmaking – steel that builds our homes, schools, hospitals, and other essential infrastructure we all rely on every day.