HVO North Open Cut Coal Continuation Project

The continuation of this mine will have extremely good ripple affects to multiple communities and people. This would assist families in hard times to support their children for better education and dietary intake. This would also help small businesses growth which in turn would increase employment at these businesses.

Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Matthew Spark

WE RELY ON THE BUSINESS TO SUPPORT OUR BUSINESS

Being an employee of Glencore I believe they are a responsible company that goes above and beyond the regulations to support the environment and community including any identified matters of importance.
For Australia it is important that we have a continue reliable affordable energy source that if provided by a responsible company.
For individuals and the community it is important that we secure their future.

HVO is a long stading responsible project that creates opurtunities for both indivuals and contractors, many peolple and families rely on this project approval.

The HVO North continuation project is important to the local community and surrounding areas. PROGRAMMED employ over 250+ individuals within HVO operations mostly of a permanent nature, with a large number of internal staff in Singleton to support this. HVO and PROGRAMMED combined have the ability to supply substantial amounts of opportunities for individuals to enter the mining industry through our traineeship program, which this continuation project would further provide these opportunities.

I believe this project is worthy of approval for the following reasons.
It provides jobs and significant income for employees, contractors and suppliers.
This mine provides significant income for the government through royalties and taxes.
I believe HVO are environmentally conscious and focused.
HVO provides employment opportunities for young people through traineeships and apprenticeships.
I do not believe we are set up for alternative energy sources on a large scale to provide electricity to a growing population and continuation of this mine allows some security until other large scale energy sources are implemented.

local jobs

The future of our region depends on the continuation of the already established mining leases and their local expenditure, and ongoing employment opportunities that keep people living and working in the immediate area. It has been widely publicized that three local mines and the power stations are already winding down and commencing their process for closure in the next three years. Idemitsu Muswellbrook Coal, Glencore’s Mangoola Coal, BHP Mt Arthur Coal and Liddell Power Station will all be closing their operations resulting in a significant downturn in the local and state economy. Many residents and businesses are concerned about the long-term future of the mining industry in the Hunter and the financial and employment ramifications that will follow if HVO is forced to decrease operations as well.

I object to this project because it will be the most polluting project in NSW since the Paris Agreement: Glencore and Yancoal’s Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project would be responsible for 1.2 billion tonnes of total carbon emissions and is the single largest new coal project proposed in NSW since the Paris Agreement.

This project is also a part of eight new coal mine proposals in the NSW planning system right now (which are all likely to determined in 2023) representing the largest increase of new coal capacity proposed in NSW since the Paris Agreement entered into force at the end of 2016.

Furthermore, coal mining emissions in NSW are the only sector that the NSW Government predicts will increase this decade. Under the latest ‘current policy scenario’ in the ‘NSW Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections, 2021−2050’ - published on 20 January 2023 - fugitive emissions from coal mines (open cut and underground) are projected to increase by ~10% from 11.63 Mt CO2-e in 2020 to 12.8 Mt CO2-e in 2030.

HVO is seeking permission to double annual Scope 1 GHG emissions (mainly fugitive methane and diesel emissions released during mining) from the 0.56 Mt CO2-e reported in their 2021 Annual Environmental Review to an average of 1.19 Mt CO2-e for the next 27 years (Table 30, Pg 87 of Appendix H - Air quality and GHG).

HVO is seeking approval to double its own direct GHG emissions at a time when the NSW Government’s policy is to reduce GHG emissions by 70% by 2035.

This Project seeks approval to more than triple Scope 1 fugitive methane emissions from 182,625t CO2-e projected for 2023 to 590,284 t CO2-e in 2030. The Global Methane Pledge (to which Australia is a signatory) requires at least a 30% cut in methane emissions globally by 2030.

Instead of electrifying their mining fleet to eliminate diesel emissions, Yancoal and Glencore are applying to steadily increase their diesel emissions. This Project seeks approval to increase it’s Scope 1 diesel emissions by 43% from 414,245t CO2-e in 2023 to 592,462 t CO2-e in 2035.

This project would also seriously damage Significant Aboriginal cultural heritage values , therefore the Plains Clans of the Wonnarua People object to any expansion of open cut coal mining at HVO.

In October 2022, the NSW IPC found that Aboriginal cultural heritage values adjacent to this Project would be “harmed” by Glencore’s ‘Glendell Continued Operations Project’ (COP). This was one of the key reasons the Glendell COP project was refused consent.

Lock the Gate understands that the Plains Clans of the Wonnarua People (PCWP)’s have lodged a Section 10 application to the Commonwealth under the ATSIHP Act to protect Aboriginal Cultural Heritage in this area and that this application is still afoot. This application was material to the NSW IPC’s refusal of the Glendell COP and also covers portions of the HVO Project area.

I support the project I live in local area and have a young family Hvo really does a lot for the local area and huntervalley continued minning Will support local businesses local jobs and assure family’s in area have away of making a income please approve this project.

I completely support this project 100%. This project is both viable to industry and community and without it will impact both industry and community way if life. Mining is valuable for everyone. The continuation will provide assistance with economy and keeping 1500 people and their families in employment. HVO are very conscientious with environment and sustainability . My support for this project is unwavering. Thank you

This project will allow the continuation of jobs and income for local businesses and the mine its self. It will also allow the continued support already given to the charities and communities in the local area.

As an employee of the mine this project will also protect the future for my family and I.

This project will help the community plan for the future without coal.

I support the HVO project not only for a stable future for myself within this company of HVO and many others and their families but also all the continuous support the valley and local community have seen and will continue to see from Hunter Valley itself.

I have worked at this mine for over 10 years. When I started working there I was destitute and living in my car.

Since then, I have bought a house and regularly donate to charities. These include cash donations to the 'op shop' organisations, a food bank for the homeless and/or struggling families, and an organisation working in the field of domestic violence. Without this job, (which pays far more than my other options), I would be forced to rent in a share house, and not able to donate anything to anyone to help others in my community.

Please see attached .pdf document.

I would like to support the HVO North Continuation Project as without Mining and it employees and contractors who support mining there would be significantly less employment and reinvestment back into the Area’s surrounding HVO. It’s the small businesses that aren’t directly employed by mining that also prosper from the industry, bakeries service stations, newsagent pubs clubs and motels the list goes on.
That’s the effect of mining on local economy let alone the revenues generated by mining to government as well.
I have been working in mining for about the last 18 years and have seen the effects on small and large business in the area’s surrounding areas of HVO and it’s only been a positive. I can only see positives for the continuation of HVO

I support the project

This project will mean my family will continue to be supported, and will allow my family to continue in their career and keep their jobs.

MC Quality control is a growing business in NSW who has developed strong relationships with HVO and Weld Australia which has enabled MC Quality to employ and train 20 + local personal in the Singleton and Maitland areas and trained them to be professional welding inspectors, due to the ongoing opportunities particularly at Hunter Valley operations and other sites.
The ongoing effect of this opportunity for MC Quality is now being able to provide support to companies in the area of welding supervision and quality control, which is a very needed service in Australia due to the limited number of skilled welders.

If MC Quality did not have our base line works at HVO it would be very difficult to maintain our workforce and continue to grow the local community and capability for the greater good of structural welding in Australia.

MC Quality has also now leveraged from the Hunter Valley Operations Support and opened an office in Mackay to support HVO sister sites in QLD and again employ local people and grow the community capability and employment.

In addition to the opportunities which HVO provides to MC Quality, I am a local person who lives in Singleton, and have seen the flow on effect in the community with HVO employees being local citizens and spending money at local shops and speciality stores. I support the HVO project for the long term gain of the Hunter Valley community and the benefits it brings to all areas of the economy.