Dudgeon Point Coal Terminals Project – Q and As - North ...

NQBP owns 1400 ha of land at Dudgeon Point, with around 700 ha being allocated to conservation and
general buffer zones. The stockyard heights are expected to be similar to current terminals at Hay Point.
Stockpile heights will be up to 15 m.
Is any development proposed at the community of Louisa Creek?
The proposed port expansion does not involve any terminal development at Louisa Creek. There will be
no conveyor or road connections across Louisa Creek from the current Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal.
The proposed project does not require resumptions of any properties at Louisa Creek based on the
current knowledge of impacts.
Some support services, however, are being considered for the Louisa Creek area. These include a
Temporary Workforce Accommodation Village on Louisa Creek Road and a possible power connection
across NQBP’s land at Louisa Creek (the power route is still being studied by Ergon).
The Accommodation Village on Louisa Creek Road is only expected to be required if both coal terminals
were under construction at the same time.
Why is dredging needed and how much material is being dredged?
Dredging is needed to increase the water depth available for the international shipping using the port.
Dredging for the project will be carried out in stages to match the development of offshore berths. A total
of 14 million cubic metres of material will need to be dredged in the offshore berth area for ship berth
pockets and extension of the ship departure path. The maximum amount that will be dredged in any one
year is 5.6 million cubic metres.
To put this into context, in 2006, NQBP dredged around 9 million cubic metres of material in the Port of
Hay Point and relocated it to an offshore relocation area in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. There
were no significant or long term environmental impacts from the dredging apart from increased water
turbidity during the dredging itself. No impacts on fishery values were reported.
Where will the dredged material be moved to?
Extensive studies have been carried out on disposal options, including recycling, reuse, disposal on
shore and relocation offshore. Independent consultants have recommended relocating the clean
dredged material to a new offshore relocation area to provide the best overall environmental outcomes.
The relocation area is in deep water of around 22-24 metres deep and has been surveyed to ensure
there is no significant habitat in the area. Modelling of the dredge plume indicates no environmentally
significant habitats will be materially affected.
Material for ocean disposal is tested under rigorous requirements set out by the National Australian
Guidelines for Dredging (NADG) in accordance with London Protocol, an international agreement
relating to the disposal of dredged material in Australian waters. Only material that has been tested and
determined suitable for ocean disposal is disposed of at sea.
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