Our Illawarra Coal operations in New South Wales, Australia, are located within areas that contain a diverse range of land uses, including residential areas, and major infrastructure features. Greater environmental awareness in the region, together with increasing stakeholder expectations and a more demanding legislative framework pose significant challenges for Illawarra Coal. To address these complex issues, the Company has developed an Integrated Mine Planning Process, which facilitates communication with all stakeholders about the planning of sustainable mining in the region.
The Illawarra region where our underground coal mines are located includes residential areas (large suburban areas, towns and villages), water supply and other catchment areas, bushland, agriculture, recreational land and industrial centres. There are also infrastructure features such as gas pipelines, powerlines, highways, railways, roads, bridges and water supply facilities.
While coal mining has been a feature of the region for more than 150 years, the profile of the population and the expectations of the local communities and regulators have altered dramatically in recent times. People are more aware of environmental issues and have a greater interest and role in their outcomes. At the same time, the legislative framework is more demanding in relation to the impacts of underground coal mining.
The Integrated Mine Planning Process
Illawarra Coal recognises the importance of working closely with government and communities to address stakeholder issues in the planning and management of mining activities. To facilitate this, the Integrated Mine Planning Process (IMPP) has been developed.
The IMPP is designed to integrate stakeholder engagement and environmental impact assessment into the mine planning process. This will enable future mine plans to be developed on the balanced consideration of all relevant factors, including the expectations of stakeholders, the impact on the environment, geology, the use of the resources, operational constraints and economics.
Development of the IMPP has been in train for some years. Since 1998, to assess attitudes towards mining, extensive stakeholder consultation programs have been undertaken, including individual interviews, surveys and community working groups.
Key findings of these consultative programs have included the need for:
- greater consultation and participation
- comprehensive environmental impact assessment
- the Company to build community trust in its ability to address issues
- sensitive planning in relation to mining under natural features
- improved monitoring and management of river subsidence impacts
- improved consultation in relation to subsidence impacts on private property and the process for impact mitigation.
Workshops have been conducted within the Company to discuss stakeholder issues and to develop strategies to address them. These workshops identified the development and implementation of an IMPP as a key strategy to address stakeholder issues. The views of people both within and outside the Company were gathered in order to develop a process in which all stakeholders have some ownership.
The key elements of the IMPP include:
- continuing stakeholder consultation and participation
- comprehensive baseline environmental assessment
- consideration of environmental impacts and mitigation measures during the assessment of alternate mine plan options
- consideration of monitoring results from past mining activities
- monitoring and stakeholder reporting programs.
The benefits of consultation
There are important logistical reasons why an effective consultation process can be of benefit to all stakeholders. Mining of coal by underground longwall methods involves considerable expenditure and lead-time of up to three years before mining can commence. It is difficult, and potentially not economically feasible, to make significant changes to longwall mining plans at short notice after the mining of a panel has commenced.
This is highlighted by issues that arose around mining under Georges River and particularly Marhnyes Waterhole, which is of cultural and historical significance to the local Illawarra community. Following several years of planning, mining commenced in September 2002. As reported in our 2003 HSEC Report, the location could not have been modified without significant risk to the viability of Illawarra Coal’s West Cliff mine.
Underground mining can cause subsidence, which can cause cracking in the base of sandstone-bedded rivers and streams, redirecting water flow from the surface to the substrate. At Marhnyes Waterhole, a strain-relieving slot was drilled ahead of mining to reduce cracking of the rock bar that creates the waterhole. This was successful in limiting fracturing to the rock bar. However, some cracking did occur, with surface water redirected to the shallow substrata. Environmental flows were provided to supplement the river during the period of mining effects and to provide water for aquatic life.
Since the completion of mining, remediation has been undertaken, including filling any surface fractures and grouting of the strain-relieving slot and riverbed to reinstate the integrity of the pools. Response from the community to the remediation work has been positive.
Some of the areas proposed for future mining also intersect rivers and creeks across the Illawarra region, and there are lingering concerns in parts of the community about possible impacts to homes and property from cracking. The IMPP now in place involves an overall approach to the development of a ‘sensitive mine plan’ for the total minable resource area. This approach ensures a greater level of awareness of issues, an ability to plan mitigating strategies, and also minimises business risks associated with potential changes to mine plans.
The IMPP is divided into five sequential steps as follows:
1. Preliminary sensitivity assessment
This step is the initial assessment of options for mine planning. It includes a review of geological information, mine layout, development requirements and access to the coal resource. It also includes the preliminary assessment of the sensitivity of the surface features to underground mining.
2. Preliminary mine planning assessment
This step involves the preliminary evaluation of alternative mine plans to determine the preferred plan/s. The alternative plans utilise proven mitigation or remediation of subsidence impacts on sensitive features and/or avoid undermining sensitive surface features identified in Step 1. The evaluation involves a balanced consideration of economic, environmental and social issues.
3. Detailed sensitivity assessment
This step involves a detailed sensitivity assessment of surface features and mining constraints. It includes the collection of baseline data on surface features, subsidence impacts and mitigation measures and seeks to identify any mine planning constraints. Baseline assessment is undertaken in consultation with relevant stakeholders, leading to a revision of the sensitivity assessment from Step 1.
4. Detailed mine planning
This step involves a detailed re-evaluation of alternative mine plans based on the results of Step 3. It involves a balanced consideration of economic, environmental and social issues. It results in the selection of a final preferred mine plan and associated mitigation measures.
5. Preparation of mining approval application
This step involves the preparation of a Subsidence Management Plan (SMP) to support the subsequent longwall mining approval application. The SMP will include impact assessments and proposed mitigation measures for natural features; Infrastructure Management Plans (IMPs) for major infrastructure; and Property Subsidence Management Plans (PSMPs) for private properties.
With regard to subsidence effects on infrastructure and private property, the Mine Subsidence Board (MSB), an independent government organisation, is responsible for the management of subsidence impacts on man-made structures under the Mine Subsidence Compensation Act (1961).
Consultation with the MSB will be conducted where necessary during the development of IMPs. For private properties, owners will be consulted on the role of the MSB in managing subsidence effects. For non-residential properties, PSMPs will address the management of subsidence effects that are not the responsibility of the MSB, such as impacts on agricultural productivity or business use of the property.
Step 5 will be repeated for each longwall mining application required over the life of each mining operation.
Implementing the IMPP
The IMPP is consistent with the key requirements of the Government’s process for longwall mining approvals. The new subsidence management plan process administered by the Department of Mineral Resources has been in place since early 2004 and involves rigorous environmental impact assessment and comprehensive community consultation requirements.
Responses to date indicate that our stakeholders feel the IMPP needs to be thoroughly tested before they express their final judgment on its validity as a consultation process. To implement the IMPP, a centralised mine planning team has been assembled, incorporating expertise from exploration, operational, environmental, community and mine planning areas. The team will ensure consistency of approach in implementing the IMPP across Illawarra Coal’s operations.
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