Rising Tide Australia

Image: Big Pond, currently home to many species, including the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog. The proposed new coal loader would fill in the wetland and replace it with coal heaps like the ones in the background.

Proposed new Coal Export Terminal (coal loader) at Kooragang

The Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) is a new consortium of six coal mining companies formed to construct a 66 million tonnes per year capacity new coal export terminal at Kooragang Island in Newcastle, adjacent to the existing PWCS coal loaders. In April 2007, the NSW Government gave the go-ahead to this project, which is the climate change equivalent of doubling NSW greenhouse pollution from all sources - every power station, every landclearing operation, every car, truck and bus in this state - all eclipsed by the greenhouse pollution from just one development in Newcastle.

The coal companies aim to begin construction in the latter half of 2007, and begin loading ships in the latter half of 2009. While they have approval from the NSW Government, their social licence can still be withdrawn. Send an email to Rising Tide if you want to help stop this development.

The coal, when combusted, would produce about 160 million tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide, fueling global climate change. By comparison, NSW produces about 150 million tonnes per year within our borders.

The coal mining companies in the NCIG have each got major new coal mining projects planned. They have been very clear that they regard the coal mining and the coal export terminal proposals as essentially the same development, even though they have split them all up for the assessment and approval process.

The coal mining companies and their proposals are:

• BHP Billiton -- proposing the Caroona coal project in the Gunnedah Basin, and the Mt Arthur coal expansions near Muswellbrook.
  
• Centennial Coal -- proposing the massive new open cut coal mine at Anvil Hill near Muswellbrook. Also proposing to expand operations at the Mandalong long-wall mine at Lake Macquarie near Newcastle.
• Felix Resources -- proposing the open-cut and underground Moolarben mine, near Mudgee.
  
• Peabody Coal (after swallowing Excel Coal) -- proponents of the massive Wilpinjong open cut coal mine ear Wollar, which has recently been approved, and the Wambo open cut coal mine near Singleton.
• Donaldson Coal -- proposing the Abel and Tasman underground coal mines at Lake Macquarie near Newcastle.
• Whitehaven Coal -- currently ruling the roost in the Gunnedah Basin, with several expansions and new mines planned, such as the Belmont, Narrabri, and Sunnyside mine proposals.
  

MORE INFORMATION:
- read an overview of the proposed new coal loader
- read an article about the global impacts of the proposed new coal loader
- read an article about the local impacts of the proposed new coal loader
- read the Rising Tide Newcastle submission against the proposed coal loader
- read the Hunter Community Environment Centre submission against the proposed coal loader

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