Red Hill project given environmental approval

The proposed Red Hill Mining project in Central Queensland’s Bowen Basin has been given environmental approval by the Federal Government, after receiving State Government approval last month.

The Red Hill Mine, located north of Moranbah, could generate up to 2000 construction jobs and 1500 ongoing positions when operations commence.

But BHP BMA are yet to decide when operations will begin.

No decisions had been made about the timing of the new underground mine included within the Red Hill Mining Lease EIS, according to a statement from BMA.

The company said the approval provided certainty for the continuation of mining at its existing mines, and protected jobs “at a very challenging time for the coal industry”.

“Whilst BMA’s plans for a new mining development on the Red Hill site were suspended in 2012 due to market conditions, recent approvals also provide the foundation for development planning at the adjacent Goonyella Riverside and Broadmeadow mines, including future extensions into the Red Hill Mining Lease,” the statement said.

The federal approval will not expire until 2052.

BMA wants to expand the longwall operations of the Broadmeadows and Goonyella Riverside mines and develop the Red Hill Mine, and the approval allows for a longwall extension at the existing mines and a new underground mine.

It comes after the Queensland Government approved the mining project with a number of requirements, including that it must not have a 100 per cent fly in, fly out (FIFO) workforce.