Foxleigh Plains Project
- Project Summary
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)
- Final Terms of Reference (TOR)
- Additional Information
1. Project Summary
The proponent for the Foxleigh Plains Project is the Foxleigh Plains joint venture parties: Anglo Coal (Foxleigh) Pty Ltd (30 per cent); CAML Resources Pty Ltd (60 per cent); and ICRA Foxleigh Pty Ltd (10 per cent). The project would involve the expansion of the existing Foxleigh open cut mine to the north of the current operations producing up to four million tonnes per year (Mt/y) of run-of-mine (ROM) coal, which would be processed to produce up to 3.2 Mt/y of pulverised coal injection (PCI) coal for the steelmaking industry. The project would increase the life of the mine by up to 15 years.
The project site, as detailed on the applications for mining leases (ML) 70429, 70430 and 70431, is located within the central region of the Bowen Basin, approximately six kilometres south of Middlemount in Central Queensland. The project site would be located adjacent to, and north of, the existing Foxleigh mine (ML70171 and ML70309). The expansion of open cut operations would include additional truck and shovel plant and equipment and 90 additional full-time employees. ROM coal from the Foxleigh Plains mine would be hauled by truck to the existing Foxleigh mine coal handling and processing plant (CHPP). No upgrade of the CHPP would be required. Coarse coal rejects from the CHPP would be placed in the overburden emplacement areas, while tailings would be deposited in residual mine voids within the existing Foxleigh mine site (ML70171). The environmental impact statement (EIS) would include an assessment of any consequential changes to operations at the Foxleigh mine.
Product coal would initially be transported by truck along an existing privately owned haul road from the CHPP to the rail load-out facility that is located approximately 20 kilometres west of the Foxleigh mine at the German Creek mine, which is owned and operated by the Foxleigh mine. Product coal would then be subsequently transported by rail to the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal for export. No upgrade of the rail load-out facility would be required.
2. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)
The project is a controlled action under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The controlling provisions are sections 18 and 18A (Listed threatened species and communities). The State’s EIS process has been accredited for the assessment under Part 8 of the EPBC Act in accordance with the Bilateral Agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Queensland (2009). The EIS will provide a stand-alone report, presented as a separate chapter of the EIS, that fully addresses the matters relevant to the controlling provisions.
3. Final Terms of Reference (TOR)
The process for the assessment of this project is as follows:
In accordance with section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act), the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) has finalised the terms of reference (TOR) for carrying out an EIS for the proposal. A copy of the final TOR is available by accessing the link below.
The proponent will now finalise the draft environmental impact statement addressing the requirements of the final TOR.
4. Additional Information
Copies of publicly available documents can be obtained by accessing the links below:
- Final terms of reference (PDF, 282K)*;
- Initial advice statement (Project description) (PDF, 1.2M)*; and
- Public notice (s46 EP Act) (PDF, 85K)*.
When the draft EIS is complete, public submissions will be invited.
For further information about the EIS process for the proposal please contact the EIS Coordinator.
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Last updated 1 February 2012