Ministerial Statement: WANDOAN COAL PROJECT RECEIVES CONDITIONAL APPROVAL

[johnnigh]

More CO2 from Surat but possibly the southern connection

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Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe
12/11/2010

WANDOAN COAL PROJECT RECEIVES CONDITIONAL APPROVAL

The independent Coordinator-General (CG) has conditionally approved the proposed $3 billion Wandoan Coal project in the Surat Basin, Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe announced today.

Mr Hinchliffe welcomed the Coordinator-General's conditional approval of the new mine, following nearly three years of rigorous environmental assessment.

The proponent is the Wandoan Joint Venture (WJV) comprising partners Xstrata, ICRA Wandoan Pty Ltd and Sumisho Coal Australia. The project is being managed by Xstrata Coal on behalf of the WJV consortium.

The project will now go to the Commonwealth for the next stage of its assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC). If Federal approval is received under the EPBC, the project is then required to finalise mine lease applications under the Mineral Resources Act Queensland.

"The growing demand for commodities globally has renewed the focus on the development potential of the thermal coal deposits of the Surat Basin in south-west Queensland," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"The Wandoan Coal project, and associated infrastructure and exploration initiatives, would open up the Basin as the next major new export region for Queensland.

"This proposed project comprises an open-cut thermal coal mine, a coal handling and preparation plant and support facilities.

"The mine has a life of 30 years and could create up to 1,425 construction jobs at its peak and 844 jobs during operation.

"The proponent anticipates construction of the mine, and its associated facilities could commence at the end of 2011-with first exports forecast to begin as early as 2014.

"It is proposed that coal from the project would be transported via the proposed Surat Basin railway, between Wandoan and the Moura line-known as the "Southern Missing Link"-to port facilities at Gladstone.

"The Wandoan mine and the proposed rail link are critical to the future development of the region.

"The Coordinator-General is currently undertaking a separate environmental assessment for the rail project."

The release of the Coordinator-General's Report today for the Wandoan Coal project contains a comprehensive set of conditions and recommendations -332 in total-for the construction and operation of the project.

The conditions set very clear requirements and procedures with respect to a number of key environmental and social issues.

They include:
The exclusion of open-cut coal mining from within a 2km 'high management zone' around Wandoan to mitigate potential air, noise and vibration impacts
Offsets requirement for cleared native vegetation, including wildlife habitats
Social impact management strategies outlined in a draft Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP), including:
oa three-year $750,000 partnership with Queensland Health

oa three-year $720,000 partnership with the Department of Education and the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA);

oinitiatives of the Xstrata Coal Wandoan Community Fund; and,

oa series of specific accommodation and infrastructure plans covering sewerage and water supply and land availability for housing in Wandoan
Cooperation with state and local governments regarding infrastructure agreements, road impact assessments, and traffic management plans; and,
Minimise and 'make good' any adverse impacts of the mining activities on groundwater quality and quantity.
In August the State released a new policy framework for strategic cropping land. The document contains a trigger map which details that part of the state where strategic cropping land may be identified, by applying certain land and soil criteria.

Mr Hinchliffe said that while the Wandoan mining lease application (MLA) included areas covered by the trigger map-the defining criteria and thresholds were yet to be finalised.

However, information on land suitability and soil condition provided during the EIS process indicated the mining areas were of a class C and D under the existing Good Quality Agricultural Land Policy and as such were of a lower agricultural quality.

"Separate to this, the Western Downs Regional Council has an important future role in the assessment of additional associated infrastructure including-a municipal waste facility, waste water treatment plant and a workers' accommodation facility,'' Mr Hinchliffe said.

"This project, if approved, will contribute significantly to the local and State economy. This It is yet another example of the Government delivering for, and listening to regional Queensland."

The Coordinator-General's Report is available from the Department of Infrastructure and Planning's website at:  www.dip.qld.gov.au/projects   www.dip.qld.gov.au/projects/mining-and-mineral-processing/coal/wandoan-coal-project.html


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[johnnigh]

Would the southern connection remove a whole swag of coal trains from the Ipswich-Port of Brisbane line? Would this reduce the level of late running of CityTrain on the Ipswich line? 

[ozbob]

Could well do John.

[colinw]

It would probably kill off any chance of a deviation to replace the current line up the Toowoomba Range as well. 

[somebody]

It would probably kill off any chance of a deviation to replace the current line up the Toowoomba Range as well. 

I'd rather have most of the coal trains out of the city, thanks.

As for pax trains up the range, it won't happen.  No doubt the Westlander will go eventually.

[tomato]

Don't hold your breath on less coalies from Toowoomba & west - Australia TradeCoast Synergy newsletter

Australia TradeCoast Synergy Newsletter (downloaded Oct 2010)
Queensland Bulk Handling to more than double its static stockpile capacity

The $65million Queensland Bulk Handling (QBH) terminal expansion within Australia TradeCoast is on track for October 2010 and will increase the company's static stockpile capacity from 377,000 tonnes to 900,000 tonnes.
QBH Terminal Manager Kevin Rayfield said the expansion would give QBH the capacity to deliver 10 million export tonnes of steaming coal to market per annum; subject to rail performance and collier shipping schedules.
"We currently service two colliers and this project will provide for a third by October of next year," Mr Rayfield said.
"We will increase our throughput in response to the increased demand from our collier customers."
Mr Rayfield said the benefits of the project were not limited to QBH.

"There are going to be many and varied economic flow on effects from this expansion. QR will see an increase in railing capacity, a new mine is being developed west of Toowoomba and QBH will have more assets requiring maintenance parts and support from local firms.

"At any one time, we currently have 30-to-40 people working on the project. All of our suppliers are Australian based companies: our stacker was built and supplied by a Tasmanian company, and our reclaim and conveyor systems were supplied by local companies."

Mr Rayfield said the expansion project was seen as a positive development during the global financial crisis and the project was purely and simply driven by future market requirements.

http://edm.australiatradecoast.com.au/queensland-bulk-handling.html

...sorry can't activate link system still playing up p for longer articles with me ?

[tomato]

With the last post the link activated itself .... tried to remove/edit my comment  at the end of the article but the thing just goes berserk ...cursor / highlighting all over the screen. Only happens on longer postings ??

[ozbob]

That is a browser issue, nothing to do with the forum as such.  I sometimes get that with Firefox, can be a bit buggy, particular with a number of extensions.  I use chrome sometimes, that is uncluttered.

[colinw]

It would probably kill off any chance of a deviation to replace the current line up the Toowoomba Range as well.  

I dare say you're right about that, and agree completely about the benefit of getting coalies off the Ipswich line.

Toowoomba "presses my buttons" to an extent, because I grew up there, and the promises of a new range crossing & fast passenger service to Brisbane have been going on since I was a kid.  Back in the '70s & '80s we fully expected that by now we'd have a new range crossing & sparks to Brisbane.

I expect the Wandoan to Moura connection will primarily service the mines around Wandoan, and possibly some of the mines to the west of Dalby. For the likes of Acland it would be a significantly longer haul than going via Brisbane, so I don't think all the coal is going to be removed from the Toowoomba route, plus there's a bit of life left in the West Moreton field as yet (Ebenezer, undeveloped deposits west of Rosewood, etc.)  Does coal still load at Box Flat balloon loop?  There's also quite a bit of undeveloped coal to the southwest of Toowoomba along the Millmerran branch, which would also go via Brisbane.

I don't think most people appreciate the full extent of the coal deposits on the downs.  Even around Warwick there was coal - one of the major sources of traffic ont he Warwick to Killarney branch was coal from the Tannymorel mine (which had its own spur line off the Killarney Branch).  Going further south & west, the deposits cross over into NSW & join up with the fields north of Gunnedah, e.g. there are plans afoot to develop a coal mine at Ashford, which potentially could see part of the Moree to Inverell branch in NSW resurrected.

The range crossings are seriously hampering the development of rail west of Rosewood - the loading gauge is more restricted than the rest of the QR system, and in particular there are limitations on the types of containers that may be carried.  Something needs to be done if rail is ever to compete.  I do not expect passenger service to Toowoomba to be a major consideration, however, nor should we be promoting such long distance commutes

[johnnigh]

Yes, the Downs covers a vast coal bed. But that doesn't mean it will be mined. And it certainly doesn't mean it should be mined. As the Downs is the largest of very few worthwhile agricultural soils on this ancient continent, the remainder of the continent being miserably buggered by 350m years of weathering (our agricultural & pastoral production is roughly on a par with the British Isles!). Dig up the coal and destroy the food production possibility forever. The Hunter Valley provides an illustration on a reasonably substantial scale of the effect of broad acre mining. But the implications of the same fate for the Downs are more serious as it is a more important producer of grain and other ag outputs, including horticulture.

I'm not sure that the market system is far-sighted enough to protect our long-run food security and I've even less faith in public policy makers. Luckily for me, I've only got another 35-40 years max to deal with, so I won't starve!

By the way, is the West Moreton coal just as sh**tty as Ipswich coal was?? If so, even more reason to leave it in the ground and keep growing carrots, beans and broccoli.

[colinw]

Agree with you 100% there.  Coal mining in the rich black soil plains of the downs makes my skin crawl, and not just due to the local effects.

We need to wean ourselves off this dependence on fossil fuel.  Who knows what effect disgorging the vast amount of carbon laid down in the carboniferous period into the atmosphere will have on the Earth's habitability?  I doubt anyone has a computer model powerful enough to predict.

[tomato]

Don't hold your breath on less coalies from Toowoomba & west - Australia TradeCoast Synergy newsletter

.......QBH Terminal Manager Kevin Rayfield said the expansion would give QBH the capacity to deliver 10 million export tonnes of steaming coal to market per annum; subject to rail performance and collier shipping schedules.

'Port Facilities Queensland Bulk Handling

Queensland Bulk Handling Pty Ltd (QBH) operates the 5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) capacity export coal loading facility at the Port of Brisbane in South East Queensland. This terminal has been loading coal for New Hope and other producers as a common user facility since 1983.

As a critical element of New Hope's export coal chain strategy, QBH has an admirable record as a despatch port and is capable of loading small cape size vessels.

New Hope owns 100% of this business. Further information about QBH can be obtained at www.QBH.com.au '

http://www.newhopecoal.com.au/activities/port-facilities.aspx   

[tomato]

Next big transport advance celebrated...... The Queensland Country Life
BY MARK PHELPS
29 Nov, 2010 12:38 PM
IT IS being celebrated as the greatest single advance in the transport industry since the adoption of the B Double 20 years ago.

The A Double, developed by Brisbane trailer manufacturer Haulmark, allows two 40-foot trailers to track in the same envelope as a B Double, which is limited to one 20ft trailer and one 40ft container. The A Double is 4m longer to a B Double. Haulmark national sales and marketing manager Mark Johnston said the design represented a major advance in efficiency.

"The A Double can carry two 40ft containers, four 20ft containers or two 'heavy' 20ft containers," Mr Johnston said. "It is far more than trucks just being able to carry 25 percent more freight each time. It means transport operators can operate far fewer trucks, there is immediate reduction in double-handling containers and a greatly reduced need to have trucks carrying only one trailer."

The breakthrough is the development of a computer-controlled dolly which steers the rear trailer and an externally monitored on-board weighing system developed by Brisbane company Tram-anco. The front axle has the ability to steer up to 15 degrees. "The real need for steering is at low speed and managing the 'swept path' of the vehicle," Mr Johnston said.

"At low speed the front axle may be steering up to eight degrees. At high speed it may only by 1-2 degrees. This system delivers a quadruple bottom line. The A Double is safer, results in less congestion on the road because you need fewer trucks, there are also fewer emissions because there are fewer trucks and most importantly, you can move freight with each truck. That is why the A Double is a quantum leap for the transport industry and really has the industry excited."

The $150,000 dolly has a computer which constantly monitors the movement of the trailer in front. It controls the front axle of the rear trailer through hydraulics. At present the A Double is only allow-ed to operate between Toowoomba and the Port of Brisbane. While there were a number of key issues to be addressed with Queensland Transport and Main Roads Departments before A Doubles were allowed on the road, one of the key limiting factors were bridges between Toowoomba and the port.

Two on the bridges were at the port and the other over the Lockyer Creek near Gatton. One bridge at the port has already been upgraded and funding has been approved for the other two.  To overcome concerns about increased weight, they developed an on-board mass system allowing government inspectors to monitor the weight during transport.

http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/next-big-transport-advance-celebrated/2010913.aspx

[mufreight]

Which rail line will we close next?

[colinw]

Which rail line will we close next?

Cunnamulla, Quilpie, then the remaining grain branches, I suspect.    There's no way Cunnamulla will last more than another couple of years.  The comparable lines (Yaraka, Hughenden - Winton, Thallon - Dirranbandi) are all gone.  Quilpie may hang on a bit longer.  Jandowae looks a goner as well, despite having been upgraded to take 90 tonne DELs and in the 1990s.

When I was a kid the procession of grain trains in a good season was endless.  Saw some very long ones on the Cecil Plains lines a couple of times.  The "B" class lines weren't particularly efficient 'though, with partial loading of grain wagons due to the light axle loading. Doesn't effect Millmerran, Dalby - Meandarra, Wandoan, all of which got an upgrade for 90 tonne DELs back in the 1990s.

Are we ever going to get a sensible mass/distance charging regime for road freight in this country?  Time to level the playing field.