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Home › Dodgy Deals ›
Dodgy Deal
Maules Creek coal mineAustralia

Project – On record

This profile is no longer actively maintained, with the information now possibly out of date
Lead organisation:
BankTrack
Contact:

Julien Vincent, Lead Campaigner, Market Forces

climate@banktrack.org

Last update: 2016-10-13 00:22:39
Photo: -

Project – On record

This profile is no longer actively maintained, with the information now possibly out of date
Lead organisation:
BankTrack
Contact:

Julien Vincent, Lead Campaigner, Market Forces

climate@banktrack.org

Last update: 2016-10-13 00:22:39
Why this profile?
About
Sectors Coal Mining
Location
Website http://www.whitehavennews.com.au/maules-creek-mine/

Whitehaven Coal's Maules Creek mine is a part thermal, part semi soft coking coal mine being developed in the Gunnedah Basin in Northern New South Wales. It would produce 13 million tonnes per year (run of mine) for 11 million tonnes per year of saleable coal. It is assumed that the proportion of thermal to semi soft coking coal is roughly 50/50. Coal from Maules Creek would be railed to and exported from the port of Newcastle, some 375 km (233 mi) away from the mine.

Despite extensive community protests and blockades, the first coal left the mine in December 2014.

Impacts

Social and human rights impacts

There has been a lot of protest against the Maules Creek mine project.

The Maules Creek mine gained national recognition in January 2013 when an activist sent a hoax media release on behalf of ANZ, the lead arranger of Whitehaven's $1.2 billion debt facility, claiming to have withdrawn from the loan. The hoax was revealed quickly and while the impact to Whitehaven's share price lasted only a matter of hours, mainstream media covered the story for days, alerting hundreds of thousands of Australians about the mine and its environmental impacts.

For almost two years there has been a community presence on the site of the proposed Maules Creek mine. Since Whitehaven attempted to commence construction, numbers have swelled to over a hundred. In recent months trainings in community action and peaceful resistance have taken place on site, associated with direct actions that have prevented construction taking place. On 31 March, 82 arrests were made on the proposed mine site.

Actions have also taken place away from the mine site. In November 2013, over 70 activists protested in front of Whitehaven's Annual General Meeting in Sydney, while several customers of ANZ have publicly cut ties with the bank in protest over its role in arranging the Maules Creek debt facility.

The traditional owners of the land on which Maules Creek is proposed are the Gomeroi people, and are another significant group opposing the mine. They have been outspoken in their opposition to the mine and remain so, conducting briefings with governments and investors, and attended the ANZ Annual General Meeting in December 2013 to raise their concerns with the bank's board.


Environmental and climate impacts

The Maules Creek mine site is situated in the Leard State Forest, a roughly 4,000 hectare region of rare remnant bushland in the Liverpool Plains of Northern New South Wales. It would see 1,665 hectares of the forest removed to accommodate the mine. Over thirty vulnerable species were listed as present in the Environmental Impact Statement for the Maules Creek mine. These include 500 hectares of White-Box Woodland Forest, which is listed as critically endangered.

Residents are concerned at the extent of coal dust contamination near the mine site and along the 375 kilometre rail corridor to Newcastle. Health alerts in the Hunter Valley (through which Maules Creek coal would be railed) for dangerously high levels of air pollution already occur on a daily basis and the Hunter region already experiences very high levels of respiratory disease.

The mine would directly compete for water resources with nearby prime agricultural land, while the Environmental Impacts Statement for the Maules Creek mine acknowledges that it, along with two other mines in the same catchment, would result in significant falls in the water table.

At 11 million tonnes per year of product coal, and assuming a 50/50 split between thermal and semi soft coking, this is sufficient for the coal from Maules Creek to add almost 30 million tonnes per year of scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Over the 30 year life of the mine, it would result in close to a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Whitehaven's offset plan for the Maules Creek mine has created several legal and regulatory risks for the company. At issue is the ability to achieve "like for like" offset replacement and protection of habitat that is critically endangered and, as part of one of the last areas of remnant bushland in the region, would result in the loss of forest that is part of the migration path for a number of bird species.

The Federal Government is currently investigating whether Whitehaven Coal breached section 489 of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act for having provided false and misleading information to the government when applying for its environmental permit. If a breach is found it would be considered a criminal offence.

Community anger over the failure of offsetting programs and regulations has led to a federal Senate inquiry into the efficacy of such programs. Whitehaven is one of several major fossil fuel developments that will be under significant scrutiny over the coming months and the inquiry begins taking and reviewing submissions.

Financiers
Institution type
Finance type
Year
Companies

Whitehaven Coal

Australia
Website
No companies
News
BankTrack
Partners
Blog
External
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Whitehaven slapped with $372,500 in fines for breaches of licence

2021-08-13 | The Sydney Morning Herald
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Activists drop challenge to Maules Creek coalmine after offsets approved

2021-04-30 | The Guardian
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Maules Creek Mine: 'Massive' 455m Whitehaven Coal's soil pile would pollute air, claim residents

2021-03-14 | The Northern Daily Leader
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Green Investment Bank buyer backs fracking and coal

2016-10-19 | Greenpeace Energy Desk
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Activists protest at Whitehaven coal site across the North West

2014-09-29 | NBN
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Protests ramp up at Maules Creek

2014-09-29 | Prime 7 News
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Kooragang Island protest against Whitehaven Coal's Maules Creek mine halts Newcastle coal trains

2014-09-29 | The Newscastle Herald
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Multiple arrests at NSW mine protests

2014-09-29 | The Sydney Morning Herald
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Coal mining begins at Maules Creek site after months of protests

2014-08-20 | The Guardian
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Jonathan Moylan avoids jail term for fake ANZ media release about Whitehaven Coal

2014-07-25 | The Sydney Morning Herald
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Maules Creek coal mine divides local families and communities

2014-04-09 | The Guardian
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

At 92, I was arrested for protesting against mining. I'm glad I took a stand

2014-04-01 | The Guardian
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Leard blockade: Police move in on protesters at Whitehaven Coal's Maules Creek mine

2014-03-31 | ABC.net
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

The trouble with offsets

2014-03-16 | ABC Net
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Anti-mining blockade steps up a notch at Maules Creek

2014-01-28 | The Sydney Morning Herald
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Protesters blockade Whitehaven mine

2014-01-13 | Newcastle Herald
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Critically endangered forest to be cleared after Court dismisses challenge to stop coal mines

2014-01-02 | News EDO
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Court Challenge to Whitehaven Coal Mine Lost

2013-12-20 | Lock the Gate Alliance
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

100 protestors stop work on controversial coal mine

2013-12-16 | Lock the Gate Alliance
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

NICE guys finish last

2013-09-26 | The Land
Resources
Documents
Links
2014-04-29 00:00:00

Environmental Impact Assessment

Company document
2014-04-29 00:00:00
2014-04-29 00:00:00

NAMOI CATCHMENT WATER STUDY - INDEPENDENT EXPERT

Other document
2014-04-29 00:00:00 | Schlumberger Water Services (Australia) Pty Ltd

Front Line Action on Coal

Front Line Action on Coal’s #LeardBlockade is the first coal mine blockade camp in Australia. The #LeardBlockade started 5 August 2012 in the Leard State Forest, but is now situated at Wando (Cliff Wallace’s farm in Maules Creek). Front Line Action on Coal is part of the Leard Forest Alliance.
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