The project, located in the northwest of the Wyong Shire, has faced significant environmental opposition since the preliminary application was submitted.

 

Environment and community manager for Wallarah 2 Peter Smith said community interest had focused on whether the project could be developed without adversely impacting the region’s water supply system.

 

“We are pleased to show in this environmental assessment that, as we promised, the proposal we have submitted to the Department of Planning is one that safeguards the region’s water supply from potential mining impacts,” he said.

 

“We can do this because of the blending of three essential elements. The first is the eological makeup of the area above where we plan to extract coal in that the geology precludes direct interaction between the coal mining that will be between 350 and 600 metres deep and surface and important subsurface waters.

 

“The second is that the mine plan has been designed to avoid adverse impacts on both the water supply sources and the infrastructure of the water supply scheme.”

 

The third protection for the water regimes was the level of scientific research and exhaustive body of knowledge about water regimes and the pubic examination and assessment of this information.

 

The Wyong Areas Coal Joint Venture expects the cost of construction and development to commence coal production at the mine will be around $A700 million.

 

The proposed mine, which the company claims will bring 300 direct jobs, 700 additional jobs, and $1 billion investment to the Central Coast in the first three years of construction, will export coal out of the Port of Newcastle.

 

Miners will access the working area via a surface facility at Buttonderry near the Wyong Waste Disposal Centre, while coal will be brought to the surface near the junction of the F3 and the Motorway link road via one of Australia’s longest mining tunnels.

 

The coal will not require treatment so there will be no washery or associated water demand and tailings dam.