The massive GVK-Hancock coal mine project near Alpha in Central Queensland was given the official go-ahead by Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt on Friday.
The $6.4 billion, 37 380 hectare Kevin’s Corner project will be the biggest coal mine in the country when completed, and is expected to provide jobs for over 20,000 people once operational, both directly and indirectly. 6,000 people are expected to be employed during construction.
Owned by a joint India-Australia consortium, the mine is the first to be approved under the previous federal government’s water trigger rule.
The mine has met with opposition from a number of environmental groups over claims the project will use more than nine billion litres of water a year and adversely affect groundwater in the Galilee Basin.
The Queensland State Government approved the Kevin’s Corner project in May, after signing off on the Alpha Mine and Rail projects in 2012.
Construction is expected to start on the project in 2015 with production scheduled to start in 2018.
Queensland Resources Council acting chief executive Greg Lane said Kevin’s Corner stood to not only improve living standards for millions of people in India, but also open up one of the world’s most exciting new coal provinces.
“GVK is to be congratulated for its commitment to this project in the toughest operating environment that the Queensland coal industry has faced this century,” he said in a statement.
Add Comment