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No. Issue Response 22 Concern regarding long term effects and mine closure, including: • responsibility post mining; and • long-term land management issues particularly relating to mine waste rock emplacements. 23 Concern over the quality of the coal and quantity of greenhouse gases produced by the Project during the mining and subsequent burning of the coal and the contribution this would make to global warming. Responsibility for the Project site Post Mining Section 5.5.2, Volume 1 of the EIS presents key completion criteria for project components including final landforms; tailings disposal areas; surface infrastructure; final voids; rehabilitation areas; regeneration areas; and Enhancement and Conservation Areas. The completion criteria would be utilised to evidence achievement of the objectives of the Environmental Protection Plan (Section 5, Volume 1 of the EIS). Upon cessation of mining operations, it would be expected that tenure of the mining lease would be maintained by WCPL until such time as these completion criteria are achieved along with any relevant statutory requirements (e.g. fulfilment of mining lease conditions). WCPL would then seek to relinquish the Project mining lease. Long-term Land Management Issues – Waste Rock Emplacements As stated in Section 4.1.1, Volume 1 of the EIS, mine infrastructure and landforms have been designed and located to integrate with existing topography and landscape features via: • “progressive development of mine waste rock emplacements by backfilling behind the advancing open cut to integrate Project landforms with the existing topography and to reduce the need for remnant vegetation clearance associated with out-of-pit mine waste rock emplacements; and • progressive rehabilitation of Project landforms in a manner that maximises integration with the surrounding landscape.” As stated in Section 3.8 of Appendix A, Volume 2 of the EIS: “… it is expected that drainage from mine waste rock emplacement areas would be non-saline and near neutral in pH.” Issues associated with mine closure and final voids are addressed in Issue Nos. 19, 36 and 56. An assessment of Project greenhouse gas emissions is provided in Section 11 of Appendix E, Volume 2 of the EIS. The outcomes of the assessment is summarised in Section 4.6.4, Volume 1 of the EIS as follows: "Potential Impacts The major source of Project-related emissions of greenhouse gases would be the combustion of diesel fuel (used in diesel-powered equipment and in blasting). In addition, emissions would occur indirectly from the use of electricity to power mining equipment and to operate the CHPP and conveyors. Open cut mining can also result in emissions of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) that is currently trapped in the coal matrix and would be released as fugitive emissions as the coal is mined. WIL-03\2\2\ISSUES AND RESPONSES ALL TABLES.DOC Page 44 of 119
No. Issue Response 23 (Continued) An assessment of Project greenhouse gas emissions was conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Australian Greenhouse Office (2003) (Appendix E). The emission estimate for the life of the Project is 1,948,473 tonnes CO2 equivalent (t CO2-e), which equates to an average of 92,784 t CO2-e per year over 21 years (ibid.). … Mitigation Measures Minimising fuel usage by mobile plant (and associated greenhouse gas emissions) is an objective of mine planning and Project cost control systems. Additional controls on greenhouse gas emissions associated with the Project would include: • regular maintenance of plant and equipment to minimise fuel consumption and associated emissions; • consideration of energy efficiency in plant and equipment selection/purchase; and • establishment of significant areas of woodland vegetation over the Project life (Sections 5.2 and 5.3). In addition, consideration would be given to the further usage of solar power for specific site applications. The existing Project meteorological station and stream gauging stations are solar powered." Over the lifetime of the Project, a total of approximately 251 Mt of run-of-mine coal would be mined. This would yield approximately 180 Mt of product coal, as detailed in Table 1-1, Volume 1 of the EIS: “Approximately 147 Mt and 33 Mt of product coal would be produced for domestic use and export, respectively.” The characteristics of the Project coal working sections are presented in Table 2-1, Volume 1 of the EIS. As stated in Section 2.1, Volume 1 of the EIS: “The Ulan Seam is approximately 15 metres (m) thick and comprises plies of good to fair quality coal, plies of poorer quality (i.e. high ash) stony coal and partings of carbonaceous claystone, claystone, tuffs and other non-coal lithologies.” Further to this, it is stated in Section 11 of Appendix E, Volume 2 of the EIS: “Tests have been undertaken to estimate the quantity of fugitive CH 4 and CO 2 likely to be released from the coal seams as they are mined. The test results were provided in a report by GeoGAS Systems Pty Ltd (2005). Five samples from two boreholes were analysed. The quantity of gas liberated ranged from 0.41 6 m 3 /t (from the WL-03 samples at a depth of approximately 32 m) to 0.60 m 3 /t (from the WL-04 sample at a depth of approximately 32 m) to 0.60 m 3 /t (from the WL-04 sample at a depth of approximately 16 m). The average value was 0.51 m 3 /t.” WIL-03\2\2\ISSUES AND RESPONSES ALL TABLES.DOC Page 45 of 119
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