Following a drawn-out negotiation and court hearing process, Bathurst said it had successfully mediated with the Fairdown Whareatea Residents Association following a comprehensive project review resulting in changes to mine scheduling and infrastructure.
As a result, the FWRA has withdrawn its appeal to the Environment Court against the resource consent for the project that was granted in August last year.
The association, along with the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand and the West Coast Environmental Network, had appealed against the granting of resource consents for Escarpment on the grounds of the mine’s environmental impacts.
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society and the West Coast Environmental Network support the FWRA withdrawing their appeal to the court.
The Escarpment project is situated on the Denniston Plateau in New Zealand’s South Island.
The original Buller project plan for which resource consents were granted, was based on mining the Escarpment block, the establishment of a coal washing plant on the plateau and a pipeline to transport coal off the plateau to a stockpile facility in Fairdown.
Bathurst says the revised plan for the proposed mine commits to an aerial system of coal transportation and significantly reduces the environmental effects of the project.
The amended plan also includes an improved mine schedule for the Escarpment block, which will produce a low-ash coal abolishing the immediate need for a wash-plant.
The first two to three years of coal production will however be at a slightly lower annualised rate than previously predicted, with the coal being transported off the plateau via truck to either the Port of Westport or a rail load out facility to Lyttelton.
Escarpment was tipped to produce 2 million tonnes per annum of coal, however annual production rate will be about 500,000tpa until the new aerial transport infrastructure is constructed.
The aerial system will transport coal to an identified site on the coastal plain north of Fairdown.
This would defer the need for a wash plant for about two years, Bathurst said.
Bathurst chief executive officer Hamish Bohannan celebrated the outcome.
“A new plan has been identified that provides a more efficient use of capital and resources, shows a clear path to extracting synergies from the potential North Buller project, resolves the issues raised by the residents’ association and significantly reduces our environmental impact,” he said.
“I believe the process was more than worthwhile and the outcome will have long lasting benefits for the community and the environment in Westport.”
Moving forward, Bathurst said its priority remained on developing the Escarpment block, which continues to be dependent upon the outcome of the remaining licence appeals.
Bathurst would now endeavour to obtain all required consents for the revised Escarpment plan.
