HVO North Open Cut Coal Continuation Project

My father works at the mine as do 1500 other people, these families need an income

I support the project

I Support this Continuation Project.

I support this projects as I am I favour of continuing mining in the hunter valley that provide over 1million in direct and indirect jobs for the local community including me and my partners work. Local mines also support the community and local schools and organisations and not to mention rehabilitate (as I have seen first hand in my 23 years in mining ) the areas they have finished mining .

I support the continuation of the HVO Project which will continue supporting local jobs in the Hunter Valley which in turn supports our local communities.

This operation provides soo much to the community

I support the approval of this project, the mine is existing and with the approval of this expansion the operations will continue to provide economic and community support whilst meeting world market demand for current demand of coal .I have had both personal and business relationship with this site which has provided employment and growth of my small business.

The continuation of mining at HVO will ensure that reasonable steps are taken to protect the current employees of the mining industry. to end mining in 5 years would add an enormous burden to the economy as there would be thousands of workers displaced and unable to find employment. We need to transition a decrease in mining over the next 50 years to;
1. ensure that the government can find an alternative source of sustainable income
2. ensure that employees of the mining industry are able to transition into an alternative job
3. minimise the impact on the economy

Sir / Madam,
The continuation of Hunter Valley Operations mine is important to my family which includes three
children, two who are at school and the youngest is 1 months of age.
My salaried employment from Hunter Valley Operations facilitates me to provide a good standard of
living and education for my children which I hope to be able to maintain following graduation from
The University of Newcastle in 2009.
While there is an ongoing focus on environmental impacts there does need to be the right balance
struck between economic, social and environmental impacts, which I believe the submission from
Hunter Valley Operations JV clearly articulates. Hunter Valley Operations contributes tens of millions
each year through royalty payments to the State Government; provides a significant regional
contribution through jobs and expenditures on good & supplies; and make direct community
contributions to many local bodies including local children sports clubs.
Recently, Hunter Valley Operations provided children’s toys and Christmas hampers to Singleton,
Muswellbrook and Dubbo community outreach programs. Hunter Valley Operations continuing local
charity and community support through our Workplace Giving, sponsorship and community grants
program is a credit to our operation.
The energy needs of developing Asia are enormous, the improvement of which comes from cost
competitive and reliable base load electricity. Secondly, infrastructure development, requiring steel
and cement is contingent upon the supply of raw materials, thermal and semi soft coal being a
primary input. As a Mechanical Engineer, I am fortunate to have a technical understanding of
manufacturing, construction and maintenance of infrastructure throughout its life cycle.
Modern cities would not function without steel, cement, aluminium, glass and of course
synchronous power. Coal, gas, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants are capable of supplying
synchronous power which modern devices require (air-conditioners, fridges, lighting circuits etc.).
Glencore who manages Hunter Valley Operations sets very high standards for safety and
environmental management, for example, real time monitoring of noise and dust which trigger
immediate alarms should conditions be approached. The arguments around health impacts can be
quite emotive and it is important that the facts be established particularly through NSW Health and
other expert bodies. It is my understanding that air quality in the Hunter Valley is in fact better that
Western Sydney. Mineworkers at Hunter Valley Operations are monitored for exposure through Coal
Services, exceedances are exceptionally rare and well managed, in which I play a part.
Greenhouse emissions are a global issue with Nations participating through Kyoto and Paris
agreement commitments. These should not be targeted at individual mines, whereby our high
quality coal can be blended at international import terminals for which Glencore or YanCoal has no
control.
I believe the Hunter Valley Operations Environmental Impact Statement is very robust and like other
recent mining developments is an iteration on best practice. Hunter Valley Operations continued
operations would utilise existing infrastructure in place to process and load product coal onto rail
infrastructure. This in my opinion is an efficient use of installed infrastructure and maintains
employment of over 1500 employees and specialist contracts that support all facets of coal
production and processing.

I support the project as it's invaluable to our local and national economy.

I support the HVO continuation project, the proposed mine supports the local community and will support many families and businesses directly and indirectly. As well as providing significant royalties to the NSW government, funds that can be used in the local region and metropolitan zones of NSW. This is important funding as we transition to renewable energy and re-train the region's workforce for other industries, it is crucial that environmentally responsible operators such as HVO continue to mine in our region.

With the ongoing demand for energy across Australia, there is a growing requirement for base load stabilisation - particularly within NSW as we make the transition to renewable energy sources. The continuation of HVO is vital to the ongoing success of the state economy and will continue to support growth of primary and secondary industry in the region around Singleton and Muswellbrook.

The continuation of mining will have a multi faceted and positive impact on the whole of our local community inclusive of 1500 ongoing permanent jobs, 600 temporary jobs with an economic contribution of $860million. The estimated total net contribution of continuation amounts to $4.8 Billion in NPV.

I support the project as one of thousands of people who are likely to understand that the project has significantly more benefit to the local and state economy. The project benefits for our society far exceeds what any real or perceived objection will amount to.

Throughout COVID it brought home to most people how important it was to everyone in order to be able to provide for their families, to provide an income to sustain their ability to live.

There are no other industries established and ready to provide reliable employment for such large volumes of both direct and indirect employee's. The social impact of not approving applications such as this is largely not considered yet we consider future impacts to many other aspects as part of the environmental consideration of this project other than the livelihoods of those connected to this industry.

A second consideration is that while the coal produced from this project is often only recognised at the Tier 1, 2 and 3 emissions it seldom gets talked about where the majority of people consume the actual end output is far closer to home;

1. Coal that is used for both domestic and export thermal use is actually powering industry that we take for granted in the products that we consume, motor vehicles manufactured in Japan that we drive on the roads in Australia is only possible with primary inputs of iron ore and coal exported from Australia.

2. Coal that is used for steel making eventually finds it's way back to Australia for nearly every product that is consumed. To think we haven't benefited from this in our everyday lives is a very naive assumption to make and not nearly well enough understood when it comes to making a direct link to approving a project such as this so that we may continue to purchase goods and services in our everyday life.

Please consider that there are no technological alternatives that provides the energy and steel at volumes required by our population. The result of not approving these projects without a clear alternative will mean that we will suffer the social impact far earlier than any other risks presented by this project.

Thank your for your consideration of my support.

Ashley McLeod

A large scale value add for the Hunter region economy

Glencore and Yancoal's proposed Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project would be responsible for 1.2 Billion tonnes of total carbon emissions which, in the light of what is known of the catastrophic effects of carbon emisssions on the planet, would be a disaster for the following reasons.
I) It would make a mockery of Australia's stated aim of reducing carbon emissions.
2) The expansion of mining at HVO would result in degraded air quality with prolonged air pollution in the form of PM 10 and PM 2.5 emissions.
3) 397 ha of native vegetaton would be cleared, 97.4 ha which is home to Threatened Ecological Communities and the newly discovered legless lizard -the Hunter Valley delma would be at risk .
4)Significant Aboriginal cultural Heritage values would be adversely impacted by this project.
For the above reasons and the fact that any increase in carbon emissions is fueling irreversible climate change the HVO project must not be approved!!

I am a Hunter resident and am supportive of HVO continuing mining.

I have read the EIS and believe that because this is not a new mine and because there will be no increase to existing approved annual production rates that impacts can be managed. As HVO is largely mining seams deeper - noting there will be some increase to disturbance areas at HVO North but some approved areas given up at HVO South - impacts will generally be similar to current impacts. I am assuming that as other mines and power stations close, the cumulative impacts will reduce over time.

As a supplier to HVO, I know first hand of the contribution it makes to the Upper Hunter, Hunter and broader economies and communities. Not only in wages to a significant number of Hunter workers and families but to the businesses where staff spend those wages but also its direct spending with hundreds of local suppliers like me.

I also see a genuine commitment by HVO management and staff to supporting the community through workplace giving, fund raising, grants and partnerships. A significant amount of money and support is given to local charities and community organisations. Not to mention royalties for NSW infrastructure.

We should be continuing to develop new energy alternatives and a renewables sector in the Hunter. I don't see this happening as fast as people hope. The EIS points out that there will also be continued demand from other countries in the short to medium term for HVO's coal, which they will need to source from other countries or mines if HVO's coal is not available. Continuing to mine at HVO while that transition occurs makes sense.

I know a great deal of work and consultation has gone into the design of the proposed mine plan to avoid or minimise impacts. With the right checks and balances from Government to minimise impacts this is a beneficial project.

Both myself and my family are supported directly and indirectly by Hunter Valley Operations. The continued operation will assist myself, my family and the other businesses involved in this mine to survive and continue to support our local communities.

I have conducted business with this site for many years and am very much aware of the way this operation conducts itself within the community it operates in. This site prides itself on extremely high level and diligent environmental impact management, ensuring they minimise or eliminate any negative impact on the environment they operate within.
On a more personal note, conducting business with this mine helps my business support its employees and their families, who are all local. We (as a business) also support local charities and those less fortunate, so by extending this mine life, will allow us to continue to do our bit for the community too.

This project is critically important to support the surrounding community & businesses that thrive as a part of HVO's continuing support.