It has a new name and new owners but exploration licence (EL) 5460 remains a challenge when it comes to coal extraction.
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Now called Maxwell Ventures (Management) Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malabar Coal, the EL they wish to develop into a underground coal mine is the site of the former Drayton South Coal Project.
Drayton South EL along with its neighbouring Drayton Open Cut was owned by Anglo American who sold both sites to Malabar Coal in February this year.
And last week progress towards developing the coal resource through underground methods on EL 5460 was announced in a public notice in the Singleton Argus advising that a Gateway Application for the site been made by Maxwell Ventures.
The Gateway Certificate is one step in the long process for Maxwell Ventures to gain mining approval for the site located neighbouring two of the world’s leading thoroughbred studs Coolmore and Godolphin (Woodlands) near Jerrys Plains.
Anglo American spent five years attempting to gain approval for an open cut mine on the site so they could continue their Hunter Valley operations as their Drayton open cut mine had exhausted its coal reserves.
Despite spending tens of millions of dollars on the project and rejigging their mine plans to reduce its size and visual impact Anglo American was unable to convince the NSW Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC) to grant it approval with the Commission consistently stating its impacts were too great on the thoroughbred studs and the entire Upper Hunter thoroughbred industry.
Anglo subsequently closed the Drayton mine and left the Hunter with Malabar Coal owners of the Spur Hill Coal project that adjoins EL 5640 now taking up the challenge of developing the coal resource.
Even before their purchase was finalised Malabar Coal committed themselves to only trying to gain approval for underground extraction.
The company said they hoped to use the infrastructure on the Drayton site including its coal handling and preparation plants and office buildings for the Maxwell Ventures’ mine.They would also use existing rail infrastructure at Drayton to transport the coal.
Following the closure of the Drayton mine in late 2016 their Mine Operational Plan stated they would undertake 106 hectares of rehabilitation work in 2017.
However as stated in the mine’s Annual Environmental Management Report 2017 due to delays in mobilisation of a rehabilitation contractor, no new rehabilitation was completed in 2017.
Highlighting grave concerns that no new rehabilitation work was conducted by Anglo American during 2017 Malabar Coal commenced rehabilitation activities within seven days of taking ownership.
Some of the existing rehab work according to the Annual Report has not always been so successful with some of the woodland rehab sites under performing for canopy cover, shrub cover and native groundcover similarly for a number of pasture sites also under performing.