Angus Place Extension Project.

The Angus Place Extension Project will bring many benefits to the local area. It will support employment for hundreds of people from the Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Bathurst areas. The income from these employees will stimulate the economies of these regional NSW areas and will also be contributing taxes into the NSW economy. The project will also provide a reliable source of coal to the Mount Piper power station to support NSW's base load energy requirements. This guaranteed base load energy will place NSW in a good position to attract additional business to the state in the future.

Mining Projects
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta NSW 2124
Dear Sir/Madam,
RE: Objection to the State Significant Project – Angus Place Mine Extension (SSD 5602 - Amendment Exhibition)
Please accept my following submission in opposition to the proposal by Centennial Coal to continue long wall mining at its Angus Place Mine.
For nearly two decades I have been bush walking in the Gardens of Stone National Park and canyoning in the Wolgan Valley and I have come to appreciate the environmental and natural beauty of the area.
I submit that, contrary to its stated objective, Centennial Coal has not adequately designed the extension project in accordance with ecological sustainable principles for the following reasons:
1. It only seeks to repeat the same techniques and processes that have already caused significant damage to the unique pagodas and cliff lines, as well as the nationally threatened upland swamps on the Newnes Plateau.
2. The mine extension will fracture the sandstone strata supporting the nationally endangered swamps and the beautiful natural rock landscapes.
3. The proposed long wall mining panels adjoining the Wolgan River will result in water loss and eventually cause the Wolgan Falls to run dry.
4. Fracturing of surface rocks will result in water outflows containing iron and manganese to flow into the pristine Carne Creek and thence into the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

Furthermore, by seeking to grandfather its consent until 2053 and continue to extract thermal coal, Centennial Coal will, in effect, be supporting the continuance of the fossil fuel industry and thereby inhibiting progress to a sustainable, carbon neutral, renewable energy sector that is required to meet Australia’s international commitment to addressing climate change.
In summary, I submit that approval should not be given to the proposed mine extensions.
Yours sincerely
Peter Donly
1 Tallarook Place
BANGOR NSW 2234

see attachment

From the perspective of someone who lived in the Lithgow district for over 10 years and continues to work in the district, I wish to express my support for this project.
The approval of Angus Place Extension Project is vital for the continued operation and supply of fuel to Mt Piper power station (NSW most recently constructed coal fired power station) and continued employment opportunities in the Lithgow district so vital for the economic stability of the region.
It is important to state that key changes made to the original design which minimises impacts to the surface in an effort to ensure the ongoing benefits to the community.
Considering the strategic value of this mine, both from an economic and energy security standpoint, should leave no room for doubt in the importance of supporting this project.

Mining Projects
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Parramatta NSW 2142


Dear Sir/Madam

State Significant Project – Angus Place Mine Extension (SSD 5602 – Amendment Exhibition)

I request that the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment refuse Centennial Coal’s proposal to extend the Angus Place mine.

Mining activity has already destroyed half of the swamps on the Newnes Plateau. Centennial Coal’s proposed extension will undermine the need to move away from coal fired power generation due to climate change by locking in the proposal for 33 years.

The proposal threatens many of the natural features of the bushland subject to the 2,000 hectare proposal. These threats include:

1. Endanger remaining national heritage listed swamps and vegetation communities;
2. Crack and undermine cliffs, cliff overhangs and pagodas;
3. Damage Aboriginal heritage sites; and
4. Impact on water flows such as in the Wolgan River.

The rock pagodas are a unique feature of this area and took millions of years to form. Birds Rock, a large sandstone monument will be fractured even though it is in a protected flora reserve.

Many of the spectacular landscapes in the surrounding areas would be under threat due to cliff subsidence/collapse. In 1973 underground coal mining caused 600,000 cubic metres of sandstone to collapse into Burragorang Valley.

Many caves in the proposed area would also be under threat from cliff collapse. The Wolgan Falls is threatened by the proposal from negative impacts on water flows.

Much of the native bushland will be destroyed in the 2000 hectare proposal which will include part of the Ben Bullen State Forest.

There are weaknesses in Centennial Coal’s environmental assessment. The company’s consultants identified the need for targeted surveys of nationally endangered species seven years ago but did not undertake these searches. Since then the Lithgow Environmental Group have identified sites within the proposal where nationally listed plants occur.

Climate change requires moving away from coal fired power generation to renewable resources. The supply of renewables is increasing and becoming a significant provider to the power grid. Renewables are now cost effective and that will continue to improve. Expanding coal mining for a projected 33 years is inadvisable when the use of coal is expected to decline.

Australia has just experienced the worse bush fire season since European settlement began. Taking action to deal with climate change is imperative. Given this situation extending coal production should be discouraged.

The duration of the project is a short-term proposal as opposed to the long-term value of conserving the heritage values of the areas impacted by it. Many of the natural features the proposal will threaten took millions of years to form as opposed to a mining proposal with a life of 33 years.

I submit that the Angus Place Mine Extension proposal be subject to an Independent Planning Commission hearing, review and determination process given the nature of the mining impacts and duration of the approval being sought.

I have not made any political donations or gifts in the last two years.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.


Yours faithfully

I have lived almost my entire life in the Lower Blue Mountains but love walking and visiting areas of the upper Blue Mountains and the areas west and north of there, including the stunningly beautiful and unique area that is called the Gardens of Stone. I have walked in many areas all over the world and can say with assuredness that the region encompassing the Gardens of Stone and the Wolgan River and swamp areas are up there with the most beautiful locations on Earth. This area is worth so much more than what miners might be able to get from it. It is an area of tremendous natural, historical, cultural and spiritual value and it would be a devastating shame for it to sustain any damage - I am particularly disturbed by the prospect of the damage or loss of the Wolgan River and its associated swamps. These swamps are so important for biodiversity and we cannot allow further loss - Australia already has the worst reputation in the world for rate of extinctions. Almost the whole Eastern Seaboard of Australia has been adversely affected by people in the last 200 years - we desperately need to reverse this trend. To add insult to injury, the proposed mine would be mining coal - a product known to be a massive contributor to global warming. The rest of the world is moving on from coal and Australia needs to follow suit, or risk being left behind. Please do NOT allow Centennial Coal to go ahead with its proposal of extending coal mining areas. Please!

Katherine Hallam
Lapstone, NSW

Department of Planning Industry and Environment
Via web portal 28 April 2020


Objection to Angus Place Extension Project SSD-5602

Our Association strongly objects the extension of the Angus Coal mine.

Of prime concern is the impact on nationally endangered upland swamps on the Newnes Plateau. The mine extension will fracture the sandstone strata supporting these critical swamps.

With Climate Change these swamps are more precious than ever, providing natural firebreaks and critical refuges during prolonged droughts. Centennial Coal has already caused enough damage to these nationally threatened upland swamps and it admits that subsidence-related impacts are expected at Tri-Star Swamp, Twin Gully Swamp, Trail Six Swamp, Birds Rock Swamp, Crocodile Swamp and hanging swamps in their catchments. These swamps are home to vulnerable and endangered species and must be protected. Enough is enough! It is time to protect, rehabilitate and recover these threatened ecological communities, not destroy more.

Also of concern is the excessive clearing of 50 hectares of public forest for additional roads, ventilation and pumping facilities. This area must be greatly reduced and all facilities located away from sensitive areas. This should be independently monitored as given Centennial’s track record (see next point) there is little confidence this will be adequately done. In the seven years since Centennial’s consultants identified the need for targeted surveys of four nationally endangered plants, the company failed to undertake these searches. Lithgow Environment Group has in that time identified many sites where these Federally listed plants occur within the proposal, highlighting the weakness of the company’s environmental assessment.

Another major concern is the contribution this extension will make to NSW’s CO2 emissions. The veracity of Centennial’s reporting on downstream emissions has been challenged and we believe Centennial’s emissions are much greater than reported. According to climate scientists, Mt Piper and other coal-fired power stations in NSW must close by 2030 to keep global heating within safe levels. Approval to 2053 is certainly in breach of the NSW government’s net zero emissions by 2050 target, and approval beyond 2030 is in breach of Australia’s commitment to the Paris agreement goals of making efforts to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celcius. Seeking to exempt this mine from these targets, and allowing it to operate until 2053 is totally unacceptable.

We are aware other organisations have listed a number of important amendments to this project and we totally support those suggestions.

Yours sincerely

Fiona Sim
President

If this proposal goes ahead, Centennial Coal will mine underneath five critically-endangered swamps in the proposed Gardens of Stone conservation reserve, draining them of water and life.
Our friends at Colong Foundation for Wilderness, Lithgow Environment Group and the Blue Mountains Conservation Society have been working hard to create a future for their region beyond coal mining. A future that makes the most of the wonderous natural beauty of the Gardens of Stone and the greater Blue Mountains.
If approved, this single coal mine would contribute 8.5% of NSW’s greenhouse gas emissions by supplying coal to the nearby Mt Piper coal-fired power station. It’s a power station that needs to retire by 2030 according to climate scientists. However, if this coal mine is allowed, Mt Piper could keep its doors open for decades.
Mining and burning coal is the number one cause of global heating in NSW and globally. If we have any chance at containing the rise of global temperatures, there is no scope for extending coal mines - not now, not ever.
Why would we build dirty coal mines when clean energy is ready and cheaper than ever before? By building clean energy we can create jobs in sustainable industries, generate economic growth and tackle the climate and economic crises.

I object to the Centennial Coal mine extension proposal due to its potential to degrade swamps, bush-land and waterways, as well as to significantly contribute to global warming. Please see the attached document.

Support for local jobs and energy security for NSW

I have read through parts of the EIS documentation. The documents admit that the proposed long wall mining will have significant impacts on the hydrogeology and groundwater of the surrounding areas including national parks. The loss of surface water from long wall mining was denied by geologists working for BHP in the Appin area prior to that mining commencing. Evidence from the Appin long wall mining has shown unequivocally that major surface water impacts do occur. Given the similarities with the Appin area, long wall mining must be banned due to its known and proven harmful impacts. It is a requirement that the EIS should have included an alternative mining methodology using a mini-wall approach where there would be a reduced impact. This option would have provided a more manageable scope to avert environmental impact instead of that proposed.

I also note that the past mining activity has had an effect on water quality. Water pollution has taken place. The EIS documents do not provide evidence of what actions will be taken to prevent pollution of waters given the increase in intensity and duration of droughts combined with wet weather events. The selection of 2013 as the "model" year does not mean that site facilities will be adequate in a changing climate. The extraction of salt and various chemicals including ions from coal processing creates water pollution. The approach of requiring the environmental regulator to relax pollution standards to suit mine processing, is unacceptable. The use of the transfer to Delta to "balance" the system, generates the question of what is planned when Mt Piper closes? Where is the environmental assessment of the SDWTS system? This must be included in this EIS not left to some unknown "out there."

The impact of this project has not included the impact arising from the 2019-20 bush fires. This provides reason for the Department to refuse this project. These bush fires caused considerable impact on the local area when bush fires were found to be almost uncontrollable. The proponent has not assessed what effect the combination of more intense bush fires and more intense droughts will have on the future of the swamps located in the vicinity of the project. Climate change is a reality and the precautionary principle demands that this project should be refused due to a lack of scientific evidence of the combined effect of intense droughts and bush fires. This was never considered in any of the documents within the EIS.

The noise assessment prepared by SLR is now obsolete as there is a new assessment methodology. The noise assessment failed to identify and assess tonality and potential low frequency noise that may arise from the proposed extension. The noise assessment must be updated using the Noise Policy for Industry (NPfI) and include an annoying components assessment.

Air pollution from the mining activity must also include air pollution emissions (scope 3) from the Mt Piper Power station. This is because the timescale of the proposed mine extends beyond the economic life of the Mt Piper station of 2030 or thereabouts. If approval of the scope of this project is used to justify an extension to the Mt Piper station, then the impact of the lifespan of this project should also include the extension to Mt Piper Power Station. In any case, the assessment of this EIS must include a consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in the light of the NSW Government's commitment to achieve zero carbon by 2050.

While I note the EIS includes a mine rehabilitation plan, the precarious financial position of Centennial Coal and the structure of the proposed mine extension as a joint venture, presents a significant financial burden to the State of NSW in the event of mine operations becoming a financial loss. Recent wholesale prices of electricity relative to costs for coal fired power stations highlights the risk of early closure of power stations approaching their economic life as is the case for Mt Piper. I am extremely concerned that the extension of this mine will become a financial burden to the future residents of NSW. Without a multi-million dollar bank guarantees, the cleanup of this project is bound to become a State Government legacy. For this reason, the project should be refused.

My conclusion is this proposal must be refused on the basis that the proposed development will have a major impact on the local environment which has significant natural features that must be protected for future generations.

Please see attached submission.

I have attached my submission below.

Hi,

I strongly object to this proposal. It locks in carbon emissions for 30 years, when we need to be reducing carbon emissions to address climate change. Also, it will have local impacts on senstitive environments, including critically endagered swamps in Gardens of Stone conservation reserve. These swamps provide habitat for a number of threatened species. P

lease reject this proposal in this entirety.

Thankyou for the opportunity to comment. I do not support this mine extension and the associated negative economic, social and environmental impacts from the additional coal extraction related to changes to the sensitive planetary carbon cycle. I do not support the current proposed mismanagement of NSW water resources. I do not support the mines impact will have on sterilising current and future job opportunities.
Thankyou for the opportunity to make a submission to the Angus Place extension. I strongly object to this project being approved due to the environmental, social and health impacts the carbon extraction will cause over a time period far too long to be able to accurately assess the damage.
This project does not take into account the carbon released during coal removal as it is for sale to burn. The coal mined previously at this site has mostly been burnt already proving this is its primary intended purpose. Climate change will impact on the health of the NSW community and cost the taxpayers extra in experiences such as hospital use, emergency service personal and infrastructure damage. All flora and fauna will be negatively impacted particularly through changes in rainfall patterns and Fire behaviour. The current ecosystems in the proposal impact area have been put at increased risk already due to the past coal removal and burning from this mine. With changes happening quicker than predicted, 25 years is too long and is not supported.
I find it perplexing that the state government has the goal of 100% greenhouse gas free power supply by 2050, no NSW mine has a life span to cover this extension period so far and the cost of coal fired power is already higher than alternatives that do not damage the environment to such a high degree. It should be the role of the consent authority to balance current and future generations opportunities including jobs. This development if approved, will give a greater weight to the current staff at the mine than the greater number of jobs produced by alternatives if this mine extension was not approved. The future job opportunities will diminish by a far greater amount than the current jobs if the mine is approved due to the impact on the climate and ecosystems. I do not support the short term nature of these decisions. I support re-skilling coal workers to transition to the replacement industry that will require many workers.
Major impacts are from both climate changes and as admitted in the report, potential cracking of the wetland bed as well as minor impacts. The reports seem to understate long term economic losses from environmental changes as a result of the mining and overstate the value of short term monetary output. Remediation of a cracked layer suggested is pumping concrete slurry into the crack but this is not garenteed, expensive and will only be provided in the short term. The impact of the mining will be long term and there will be long term subsidence likely to distort the surface enough to crack any currently impervious layers. To decide that environmental and economic community values that are projected to currently survive for many thousands of years is of less value than 50 years of mining is not supported. With the carbon dioxide lasting at least 100 years in the atmosphere and the landscape settling over many more, a more appropriate time period for planning should co-incide with the developments length of impact which for this development and extension would be at least 150years. If approved, I support the environmental remediation program also cover a 150yr minimum period and be well funded to be able to complete projects as required for the impact period.
The mine will require a large volume of water over a time period where water reliability is decreasing faster than predicted. Domestic and farm use should have priority over this mine. The reports have not dealt with the long and short term water management issues. Due to the changes in water patterns recently over Australia the report should change its parameters to a more conservative assessment of potential volumes available. As there is no commitment to water management and available volumes have been overestimated, I can not support the extension.

Please find submission from the Gardens of Stone Alliance attached.

I object to the project

it will have a major impact on the environment and cultural heritage impacts

My family and I live and work within the coal industry at Lithgow and for the Angus Place Extension Project to be approved would be a great win for Lithgow and surrounding districts keeping the economy and the local district alive.

Dear DPIE,

Centennial Coal's Angus Place project should not be approved. This project will cause irreparable damage to a world heritage area and undermine Australia's contribution to limiting global warming to 2C as agreed to in Paris back in 2015. While the world has changed since then, it is not for the better and continuing to invest (or enable investment) in coal mining that privatises public goods while further damaging a fragile environment is not what is needed now, or ever in the future.

The fragile and unique swamps of the Newness plateau have already been damaged by coal mining in the area and today Australia is recovering from the worst bushfires in european history while simultaneously seeing repeated, high frequency of bleaching of the globally significant Great Barrier Reef. While geographically separated, these facts are all linked to Australia's continued reliance on fossil fuels for generating power and the export of same for combustion internationally.

Now is not the time to be approving Centennial Coal's Angus Place mine. Never will be the right time. To do so will:
- further damage the fragile, unique and world heritage listed Gardens of Stone National Park while providing the Thai based private company, Banpu, with profits from that damage and destruction (DPIE, if you could confirm or rebut that this fits the definition of private profits, public costs that would be appreciated)
- contribute to continued global warming liked to human carbon emissions
- undermine Australia's energy transition to renewables and even the 26-28% economy wide reduction committed to in Paris
- transfer profits from Australia's resources to a foreign company in a jurisdiction that does not have the same level of governance and transparency as Australia, including on taxation, freedom of speech and corruption laws.

As an alternative, the investment from Banpu and its subsidiary, Centennial Coal, could be directed towards increasing the resilience of energy systems (they are an energy company after all) in Australian towns impacted by the recent bushfires. This could be achieved by the implementation of solar and renewable generation supported by batteries across the NEM and in particular in towns on the fringe.

I look forward to your rapid rejection of the Angus Place mine so that we can all get out and enjoy the environment in something resembling its natural state.

Regards,
Uldis Clarson