Stratford has submitted plans with the NSW Department of Planning to recover an additional 700,000 tonnes ROM coal to be mined at 250,000t a year, increasing the amount of overburden removed and emplaced from 70 to 73.25 million bank cubic metres over the life of the mine.
Stratford plans to construct a flood and noise bund and will dispose of the overburden within the pit.
Existing mining equipment will be used for the expansion and surface infrastructure will remain the same.
The plans will extend the life of the mine by three years.
The Gloucester Environment Group has submitted an objection to the Planning Department, saying the operation is a threat to water quality downstream from Avondale Creek.
President Steve Robinson told the ABC the extension could lead to roads being damaged by subsidence and wildlife habitat being threatened, and could also impact on local tourism.
In its submission, Stratford stated: “Continued implementation of SCPL’s existing site water management procedures, erosion and sediment control measures and monitoring programmes would minimise the effect of the modification on surface water and groundwater resources.
“The modification is located in an area of cleared agricultural land and no threatened flora or fauna species, populations, ecological communities or their habitats would be expected to be significantly affected by the proposed modification to the extent that the viability of a species, population, ecological community or their habitats would be undermined.”
The public comment period on the project closed on Wednesday.
