Wallarah 2 project green lit
BY ELIZABETH FABRI THE controversial Wallarah 2 underground coal mine has the tick of approval from the NSW Government to begin development. In mid-January, the NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) declared the Wyong Areas Coal JV project on the Central Coast “in the public interest” and granted consent for it to produce up to 5 million tonnes of run of mine (ROM) thermal coal a year for 25 years, subject to conditions. “The Commission heard and acknowledged strong calls for it to take a precautionary approach given the potential for impacts to the Central Coast’s drinking water supply catchment,” PAC stated. “The issue has been assessed in detail. Impacts were assessed to be small and acceptable, with no net impact on…