Anvil Hill Coal Mine
Encyclopedia
The Anvil Hill Coal Mine is proposed for the upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales
. There is strong support for and against the coal mine within the Hunter Valley and other areas.
Supporters state that the local communities exist because of mining historically attracting workers to the area and that a new mine will lead to further employment in the local area along with state wide economic benefit.
Environmental activists have utilised arguments against removing current landholders, potential loss of flora and fauna diversity and climate change
to argue against the mines approval.
The coal mine will be managed by Centennial Coal with Mines operator expected to be Thiess. The mine will provide coal mostly for the production of electricity. It currently has contracts for providing coal to Bayswater / Liddell power stations in the Upper Hunter for 12 years, commencing in 2008.
The proposed mine EA (environmental assessment) was provided to the Department of Planning in June 2006.
On the 7th of June the NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor
approved the proposed mine, stating that not going ahead with the mine would make no overall difference to climate change and thus would slow down the economy of New South Wales without good reason. Additionally many local landowners where happy to accept Centennial Coals purchase offer, and further environmental surveys showed species were found in greater abundance, further afield, than protestors had stated was the case.
That same year, however, the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
found, in a case initiated by environmentalist Pete Gray
, that the government had failed to properly assess the greenhouse gas pollution that would be caused by the mining and subsequent use of the coal. This was described by Greenpeace
as a "landmark case [...] that forced tougher scrutiny of coal mine emissions in Australia".
Centennial Coal announced the sale of its Anvil Hill mine in the Upper Hunter to Xstrata Coal for $425 million on Monday 17 September 2007
Xstrata Coal is seen by certain politians as a respectable coal mine operator within the NSW and QLD communities, with former Premier of NSW Bob Carr saying in regards to the Xstrata Coal scholarships program “Xstrata Coal’s commitment to the teacher’s scholarships is an outstanding example of good corporate citizenship in action. They have provided teachers with valuable new experiences to strengthen their professional knowledge and teaching ability. This is a direct contribution to the well being of the community in which they operate. This means teachers in NSW can be equipped with new skills that will touch the lives of hundreds of their students down the years
Xstrata is also seen in a better position to undertake the operation of Anvil Hill, which is reflected in the statements made by Centinneal Coals Managing Director Robert Cameron, who said Xstrata was better placed to "absorb" the risks involved in the development of the Anvil Hill project.
Xstrata Coal is currently the biggest coal producer in NSW and the world biggest exporter of thermal coal, it is based in Sydney, Australia and is an Xstrata
plc (LSX:XTA) subsidiary.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. There is strong support for and against the coal mine within the Hunter Valley and other areas.
Supporters state that the local communities exist because of mining historically attracting workers to the area and that a new mine will lead to further employment in the local area along with state wide economic benefit.
Environmental activists have utilised arguments against removing current landholders, potential loss of flora and fauna diversity and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
to argue against the mines approval.
The coal mine will be managed by Centennial Coal with Mines operator expected to be Thiess. The mine will provide coal mostly for the production of electricity. It currently has contracts for providing coal to Bayswater / Liddell power stations in the Upper Hunter for 12 years, commencing in 2008.
The proposed mine EA (environmental assessment) was provided to the Department of Planning in June 2006.
On the 7th of June the NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor
Frank Sartor
Francesco Ernest 'Frank' Sartor JP a former Australian politician, was New South Wales Minister for Climate Change and the Environment and Minister Assisting the Minister for Health between 2009 and 2011. He was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Rockdale for the...
approved the proposed mine, stating that not going ahead with the mine would make no overall difference to climate change and thus would slow down the economy of New South Wales without good reason. Additionally many local landowners where happy to accept Centennial Coals purchase offer, and further environmental surveys showed species were found in greater abundance, further afield, than protestors had stated was the case.
That same year, however, the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
The Land and Environment Court of New South Wales is a Court established by legislation giving it exclusive jurisdiction to determine environmental, development, building and planning disputes...
found, in a case initiated by environmentalist Pete Gray
Pete Gray (activist)
Peter Robert Gray was an Australian environmental activist, notable for two "landmark" court cases, and for having thrown his shoes in public at former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard in protest over Australia's participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.He was described in an obituary in...
, that the government had failed to properly assess the greenhouse gas pollution that would be caused by the mining and subsequent use of the coal. This was described by Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
as a "landmark case [...] that forced tougher scrutiny of coal mine emissions in Australia".
Centennial Coal announced the sale of its Anvil Hill mine in the Upper Hunter to Xstrata Coal for $425 million on Monday 17 September 2007
Xstrata Coal is seen by certain politians as a respectable coal mine operator within the NSW and QLD communities, with former Premier of NSW Bob Carr saying in regards to the Xstrata Coal scholarships program “Xstrata Coal’s commitment to the teacher’s scholarships is an outstanding example of good corporate citizenship in action. They have provided teachers with valuable new experiences to strengthen their professional knowledge and teaching ability. This is a direct contribution to the well being of the community in which they operate. This means teachers in NSW can be equipped with new skills that will touch the lives of hundreds of their students down the years
Xstrata is also seen in a better position to undertake the operation of Anvil Hill, which is reflected in the statements made by Centinneal Coals Managing Director Robert Cameron, who said Xstrata was better placed to "absorb" the risks involved in the development of the Anvil Hill project.
Xstrata Coal is currently the biggest coal producer in NSW and the world biggest exporter of thermal coal, it is based in Sydney, Australia and is an Xstrata
Xstrata
Xstrata plc is a global mining company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is a major producer of coal , copper, nickel, primary vanadium and zinc and the world's largest producer of ferrochrome...
plc (LSX:XTA) subsidiary.
See also
- Coal Mining in AustraliaCoal mining in AustraliaCoal in Australia is mined primarily in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is used to generate electricity and 75% of the coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia. In 2000/01, 258.5 million tonnes of coal was mined, and 193.6 million tonnes exported. Coal also provides...
- Energy policy of AustraliaEnergy policy of AustraliaEnergy policy of Australia describes the energy policy in the politics of Australia. Energy in Australia describes energy and electricity production, consumption and export/import in Australia...