Baralaba North continued operations project
Project summary
Cockatoo Coal Limited is the proponent for the Baralaba North Continued Operations Project which would be an expansion of open-cut coal mining to the north of the existing Baralaba Coal Mine, with coal processing activities. The site is located approximately 45km north of Moura and 115km south-west of Rockhampton within the Central Highlands Regional Council area, Central Queensland. The project would be on a new mining lease (ML) 80201 and within the existing ML80169 and ML80170 and would cover approximately 2,498 hectares.
The mine would produce up to 4.1 million tonnes per year (Mt/y) of run-of-mine (ROM) pulverised coal injection coal to produce up to 3.5Mt/y of product coal for up to 15 years. ROM coal would be sized and washed at an on-site coal handling and preparation plant. Coarse rejects and partially dewatered fine rejects from coal crushing and washing would be backfilled in the pit within waste rock. Product coal would be trucked along a haul route similar to that used for the existing operation to a new train load-out facility approved to be constructed adjacent to the Dawson Highway about 3km east of Moura. Product coal would then be railed along the Moura-Gladstone railway line to the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal and RG Tanna Coal Terminals for export.
On 12 December 2013, the project was determined to be a controlled action (EPBC 2013/7036) under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), including that it be assessed by the environmental impact statement process under Chapter 3, Part 1 of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) in accordance with the bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Queensland relating to environmental impact assessment. The controlling provisions are sections 18 & 18A (listed threatened species and communities) and sections 24D & 24E (water resources).
The Baralaba North Continued Operations Project was assessed using the environmental impact statement (EIS) process under Chapter 3, Part 1 of the EP Act.
The process used for the assessment of this project was as follows:
- Submission of draft TOR
- Public notification of draft TOR
- Final TOR issued—EIS in preparation
- Public notification of EIS
- Proponent responds to submissions
- EIS assessment report
The EIS assessment report has been issued to Cockatoo Coal Limited and the EIS process is now complete.
Further information
Copies of publicly available documents can be obtained by accessing the links below:
- EIS assessment report
- EIS assessment report (Appendix 1)
- EIS assessment report (Appendix 3)
- Final terms of reference
- Environmental Impact Statement
- Draft terms of reference
For further information about the EIS process for the Baralaba North Continued Operations Project, please contact the EIS coordinator or email eis@des.qld.gov.au.