LakeCoal has received notification from the Department of Planning that its application for continuation of mining at Chain Valley mine will need to be processed as two separate application.

This will ensure the Department of Planning can be process part one (named Part B) of the application by 16 December 2010. It is a requirement that all Coal Mines operating under existing use agreements have contemporary environmental approvals in place by this date.

The Part B application includes a selected area of the lease, where there are current Subsidence Management Plan approvals and will ensure continuation of operations. It is expected Part B application will go on Public Exhibition in the near future. Once dates are confirmed they will be posted on this website. The community will have the opportunity to make a submission during this time.

The original Part 3a will continue to be worked on and be presented next year.

LakeCoal will be meeting with the Stakeholder Reference Group, made up of community group representatives, to detail the changes to the application.

LDO Coal, the managing agent of LakeCoal, is committed to building a sustainable and safe business at Chain Valley Mine. The proposed application will secure employment for operation’s 120 employees and ensure that environmental standards are up to date.   

LakeCoal Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of LDO Coal Pty Ltd) has submitted an application to consolidate and replace existing approvals for the Chain Valley Coal Mine, effectively securing employment for the operation’s 120 employees.

The application has been made under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and would extend the life of the mine by 21 years to 2030.

The Chain Valley Coal Project will enable the continuation of underground mining operations at the Chain Valley Mine within the area covered by existing mining leases. The planned mining areas are located in the Swansea-North Entrance Mine Subsidence District.

The mine has been in operation since August 1960, with LDO Coal assuming ownership in December 2009 from Peabody Energy Australia. 

The development application will secure the future of the Chain Valley operations and continue the mine's contribution to employment, the economy and the local community.

The application includes a proposal to increase production from 0.75 million tonnes per year up to 1.2 million tonnes per year from the Great Northern and Fassifern Seams. Coal is extracted using the bord and pillar method, a method that is flexible in design to maximize resource recovery and to control surface subsidence in relevant areas.  

Existing surface and underground facilities would be used to service the Project, with some new facilities and modifications to existing infrastructure required to support ongoing mining activities and the proposed increase in mine production. The Coal Handling and Preparation Plant, for example, will be upgraded to increase throughput to approximately 600 tonnes per hour.

Product coal will continue to be transported by truck to the PWCS Carrington Coal Terminal and to domestic customers, including the Vales Point Power Station.

The mine is an important part of the local community, supporting more than 450 families through direct and indirect employment and a network of contractors and suppliers in the local area and throughout NSW.

An Environmental Assessment of the possible impacts of the project will be prepared in accordance with specific requirements set down by the Director-General of the Department of Planning. Once issued, these requirements will be available on the Department’s website at http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/page/project-sectors/mining--petroleum---extractive-industries/mining/?action=view_job&job_id=3387

It is anticipated that one of these requirements will be community consultation. Consultation with the community will ensure that all factors of importance to the community will be considered in the Environment Assessment.

Once the Environmental Assessment is completed it will be submitted to the Department of Planning and placed on exhibition for community comment. Submissions can be made to the Department of Planning during this period.

All submissions will be considered and the Department will prepare a report for determination of the application by the Minister for Planning under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act.