Melbourne: The process to obtain final approvals for Indian energy gaint Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in Australia will be settled within three weeks, the leader of the country’s Queensland state, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Friday as she sought to expedite the controversy-hit project.
If given the green light, Adani could begin breaking ground at its Carmichael mine site within weeks, after more than eight years of planning.
Adani group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland. However, from the beginning the project has been involved in controversy. Environmentalists have said the impact of work in the mine could do serious damage to Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and also wipe out the most important habitat of the threatened black-throated finch.
Palaszczuk announced that the two last final approvals involving groundwater and endangered black-throat finch will be settled within the next three weeks.
According to media reports, Palaszczuk said the black-throated finch plan decision is due by May 31 while the groundwater management plan will be taken by June 13. “I know initially people thought this was months, and what I’m announcing today is it’s in a matter of weeks,” Palaszczuk said in Cairns. “Everybody needs to have these issues resolved. That’s the timeframe the Coordinator-General has set,” she added.
Earlier this week, Palascczuk ordered the state’s Coordinator-General to bring Adani and the state environmental authority together for discussions stating that she was ‘fed up’ with the ongoing delays.
While the post the final approval, the mining giant could start the work on the mine within weeks the coal exports could take up to two years.
“Now it’s really a case for the independent regulator to work through their internal processes and then they can make a determination and then we will be in a position to then start construction,”’ ABC news quoted Chief Executive of Adani Australia, Lucas Dow as saying.
“We’re not expecting any significant surprises. Our construction activity will start as almost immediately as we’ve got these approvals,” Dow added.
Dow said over the past 18 months the company had so far produced 11 versions of its groundwater plan and seven for the black-throated finch.
While construction at the mine could begin with approvals, Adani’s proposed railway line plan is yet to be finalised. Dow said the state’s Coordinator-General would also be publishing dates for other key activities, including the deadline of completion for the rail line’s deed of access and required sublease.
PTI