EIS under way for Abbot Point coal terminal expansion

PERTH (miningweekly.com – The Queensland Resources Council (QRC on Thursday expressed its support for a collaborative environmental-impact assessment (EIS for the proposed Abbot Point expansion, north of Bowen.

The coal industry, with the assistance of the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, is undertaking the wide-ranging EIS, said QRC CEO Michael Roche.

The EIS involved the commissioning of 15 independent studies, which would be incorporated into a cumulative impact report. The report would be made available for public comment before being submitted to the Australian and Queensland governments.

"It will include a Great Barrier Reef-wide examination of shipping, looking at current and potential movements in consultation with ports, maritime safety organisations and the shipping industry," Roche said.

He noted that the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland government had been consulted in the preparation of the impact assessment framework and schedule.

"The information gathered from the Abbot Point study is expected to complement two strategic assessments recently announced by federal and state governments on future development in or near the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area," he said.

In December of last year, the Queensland government unveiled plans for a A$9-billion expansion at the Abbot Point port, taking the port from its current three terminals to a total of nine terminals. This would increase export capacity to almost 400-million tons a year, making it one of the largest coal export facilities in the world.

The Port of Abbot Point currently has one export terminal (T1, and two that are being developed by miners BHP Billiton (T2 and Hancock (T3.

The expansion proposal involves terminals four to nine (T4-9 with first coal exported in 2017.

The preferred respondents for the expansion included Anglo American Metallurgical Coal, Macmines AustAsia, North Queensland Coal Terminal, which is a consortium of Macarthur Coal, Peabody Energy, New Hope, Middlemount Coal and Carabella Resources, as well as Rio Tinto Coal, Vale and Waratah Coal.
 

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