TEC was examining the prospect of developing a new open cut coal mine, to be known as the Kunioon Project. The project was to be located on a Mineral Development Licence (MDL) area 201.
Key features of the project would have included:
- open cut coal mine
- approximately 10 million tonnes per year of Run of Mine (ROM) coal
- life of Kunioon Project planned for at least 25 years
- overland ROM coal conveyor approximately 16 km to the Meandu Mine Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP)
- civil works and ancillary facilities at Kunioon Project such as sediment dams, roads and power infrastructure as well as offices, workshops and ablutions.
The mining method for the project was to be conventional truck and shovel operation working in two pits, Main Kunioon and Goodger. Coal was to be extracted in approximately equal ratios from the Kunioon, Goodger and Swain seams. Drilling and blasting would have been required in the overburden removal and coal extraction phases of the mining. Coal was to be hauled by mine truck to a ROM coal stockpile facility prior to being conveyed to the CHPP.
Major project capital expenditure was estimated to be in the order of $220 million with the number of construction jobs planned to peak at between 200 and 220 and jobs during full scale mining operations were anticipated to be around 260.
The period of construction activity to bring the mine up to full production was estimated to be in the order of 12 to 18 months.
The proponent had submitted to the department an application to prepare a voluntary environmental impact statement (EIS), which the department approved on 24 April 2007.
The former Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Water Resources determined that the project constituted a controlled action pursuant to s75 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The EPBC Act controlling provisions are sections 18 and 18A (listed threatened species and communities) and sections 20 and 20A (listed migratory species). The Commonwealth accredited the State's EIS process, which would have satisfied both State and Commonwealth assessment requirements.