Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project

I support the Narrabri Mine Stage 3 Extension as it will provide jobs for Australians at the mine and in local businesses supporting the mine. Sales of high-energy, low-emission coal is a good outcome for the environment as is displaces higher-emission coals from other sources.

The projects contributes $599 million value to the community and maintains employment for 520 people.

It’s good for the area

With much of the infrastructure already in place, the benefit to the local workforce will be invaluable.

This is a great opportunity to secure the future of over 500 people living in the Narrabri/Gunnedah region.

Ongoing work in the local area and suppliers.

I currently work for Whitehaven Coal and have done since 2007. My first job was the initial construction of the Narrabri Underground Coal Mine. This is a longterm valuable project that has helped underpin the Narrabri and Gunnedah shires growth and viability even though the last few years of drought. Agriculture and mining can coexist and this region is proof of that. I hope this extension gets approved and ensures many more years of jobs for local workers and relative new comers like myself.

As a local resident who is born and breed in Narrabri i fully support this extension. Narrabri is a town that Is beginning to thrive and grow from the mines in our local area the more money in local pockets and businesses the better.

I fully support the Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project. This Project will provide continuity of jobs for these employees in the region, when a lot of Communities struggle to retain their local people. This Project will continue to help keep the local Hospitals, Schools, Police, Ambulance and other public services plus local businesses at current Staffing levels and hopefully for them to grow. To lose these services eventually leads to a decline in the Community fabric.
Regional areas need the continuity of these jobs to be able sustain their population and potentially grow, especially given the opportunity here for a simple extension to an existing Project.
The NSW State Treasury now more than ever needs the ongoing royalties from this Project to help transition out of debt created by the Covid Pandemic and the discretionary funding and support provided by these Projects to local community groups in a lot of cases helps them survive. To turn that off would put some Community Projects in jeopardy.
I urge the approval of this Project in the interests of the Community and retaining local jobs.

I believe the expansion project will be highly beneficial to the local communities. This is even more important through times of drought when other sources of income such as agriculture are extremely limited.

Submission to Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project.

Thank you for the opportunity to make this submission as a group of impacted and concerned landowners. As a collective we STRONGLY OBJECT to the proposed development. Reasons for this are outlined below.

• The development will put at risk our groundwater, which is essential for the continuation of our businesses, particularly during droughts.

• The Groundwater Assessment and Agricultural Impact Statement section of the EIS are severely lacking data. We have evidence that the bore survey is not a thorough list of bores that will be impacted and the list of impacted landholders is lacking. Our on ground knowledge clearly shows that the proponents desk research is unsuitable in which to base the EIS and any approvals.

• The proponent has dismissed our groundwater as being “less productive”. This phrase is highly misleading. Granted, the aquifers we rely on do not hold the large volumes of water that the nearby Namoi Alluvium and GAB do, but this makes them even more precious and deserving of protection. These bores are highly productive. We have sustainably pumped this water for generations, and without this development we will continue to for generations to come.

• “Make Good Provisions” are simply not acceptable. The proponent predicts that private bores will exceed allowable drawdowns under the Aquifer interference policy between the years 2043 and 2360. Given that the NSW Government has committed to Net Zero greenhouse emissions by 2050, it is highly unlikely that the proponent, a pure play coal miner, will still be operating even as the first bores are impacted. Who then will “Make Good”?

• There are no provisions in the EIS for lost opportunity to the groundwater. As farmers we are continually developing and improving our properties. Part of this includes drilling new water bores. If this is taken away, who will compensate us?

• The proponent, Whitehaven Coal, has proven time and time again that they cannot be trusted to do the right thing by the local people and the environment. They are unfit to hold a mining license over such a sensitive groundwater area.

The Groundwater below our farms is a resource that we all depend on. We share it. We have a right to it. It is a sustainable resource. We most STRONGLY OBJECT to a mining company telling us that the resource that they want to mine for 25 years is more important than our water, which would otherwise last forever.

We welcome the Department of Planning to meet with us at your convenience to discuss further.

Yours Sincerely,

David and Janet Watt
“Blairmore” 880 Delwood Rd
Boggabri 2382

Leah Rees
“Chepy” 818 Blairmore Rd
Boggabri 2382

John and Jacqui Boxsell
Kia-Ora 445 Wynella Road
Boggabri 2382

G & ME Avendano
‘Towri’ 510 Delwood Road NSW
Boggabri 2382

MS Avendano
‘Hornsbie’ 239 Wilga View Lane
Boggabri 2382

Avendano Agronomics
‘Wynella’ 435 Courtney’s Lane
Boggabri 2382

Michael and Maree Nott
“Uplands” 1857 Delwood Road
Boggabri 2382

Stuart and Denise Murray
“Uambi” 713 Yarranabee Rd
Baan Baa NSW 2390

Pat and Renee Murphy.
“Arlington” Baan Baa 2390

Kevin and Lee Carslake
“Nungadoo” 348 Wynella Rd
Boggabri 2382

Geoff and Sally Hunter
“Huntly”
Boggabri 2382

Clive and Di Kirkby
“Pine view”
Narrabri 2390

Malcolm and Judy Donaldson
“Braemar” 1676 Willala Rd
Boggabri 2382

Alistair and Jenny Donaldson
“Neotsfield” 1512 Willala Rd
Boggabri 2382

Warrick and Brenda Rees
“Southend” 1243 Delwood Rd
Boggabri 2382

Kym Carlton
“Iona” Haires Lane
Boggabri 2382

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

RE: SSD-10269 – NARRABRI UNDERGROUND MINE STAGE 3 EXTENSION PROJECT – KURRAJONG CREEK ROAD, BAAN BAA

Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission in response to the abovementioned application for State Significant Development (SSD) SSD-10269. It is understood that the development will involve:
• extension of the existing underground mine to gain access to the coal reserves in Mining Lease Areas 1 and 2,
• increase the life of the mine to 2044, and
• development of supporting surface infrastructure.

The existing SSD consent (08_0144) would be surrendered as part of this application with all relevant approval activities transferred to the new consent as part of this application.

Council has reviewed the documentation submitted with the application and wishes to raise the following matters to be addressed by the applicant.

1. Introduced Bush Fire Impact
The rehabilitation and offset revegetation proposed will introduce new and different bushfire risks to the area. To ensure that the owners of the existing dwellings are not unreasonably burdened by the introduced bushfire risks resulting from revegetation, it is requested that all revegetation works be limited to provide a minimum separation distance of 100m from all dwellings, at the time the revegetation works are carried out.

2. Road Maintenance
The existing consent to be surrendered includes a condition (Schedule 4 Condition 25) that requires:
“The Proponent shall maintain the Mine Access Road Intersection with Kurrajong Creek Road and the Kamilaroi Highway in consultation with NSC and to the satisfaction of RMS.”
Council requests that the condition be included on any new consent issued for the proposed development.

3. Road Transport
All coal transported off site is to be by rail and not the road network. It is requested that a condition be imposed on any consent issued to only permit the transport of coal off site by rail.

4. Contributions
The existing consent to be surrendered incorporated a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA). The applicant has not made an offer for a VPA as part of this application. As previously advised as per our input into the SEARS, Council is amenable to further discussions regarding a VPA for this project with the proponent.
Further, if no VPA is entered into it is requested that a condition be imposed requiring payment of contributions in accordance with Narrabri Shire Council’s Section 7.12 Fixed Development Consent Levies Contributions Plan 2011.

5. Cumulative Impacts
As part of the input to the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) (letter dated 18 April 2019) Council requested consideration of the impacts (including risks) occurring as a result of the interaction of the proposed development and the adjacent Narrabri Gas Project.
Whilst the EIS has considered the cumulative effect of the two projects for many of the technical impact assessments, there does not appear that there has been any real consideration of the potential impacts of the underground mining on the gas project and its associated infrastructure. For example, will the proposed development impact on the integrity of the gas wells due to physical mining operations or subsequent subsidence impacts.
Council requests that the relevant State Government Department/Agency satisfies itself that there are no cumulative impacts as a result of the interaction of the proposed development and the adjacent Narrabri Gas Project.

6. Mitigation Measures
The mitigation measures as outlined in the EIS are to be conditionally required to be complied with as part of any consent issued.
If you wish to discuss this matter, please contact Council’s Planning and Environment Department on (02) 6799 6866.

Yours sincerely,

Stewart Todd
General Manager

Please see a submission from Lock the Gate Alliance attached

Major project which is providing employment for local people and other mining professionals from around the country.

We particularly object to the degassing technique used at Narrabri Underground and say it should never again be allowed to be done using the Surface-to-Seam method.

Hi Philip
Please find attached response from BCS. Happy to discuss.
Regards
Sam
STL Planning North West

Council makes no in principle objection to the development. submission relates to a number of matters for which Council would suggest additional consideration be made prior to a determination being made to the development.

Attached.