Document Owner: | Env Supt | ||
Document Approver: | Env & Rehab Mgr | ||
WHITEHAVEN GROUP | Revision Period: | 3 years | |
Issue: | 1 | ||
Last Revision Date: | November 2023 |
WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
WHITEHAVEN COAL
ROCGLEN MINE
REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Approval | Name | Position | Signed | Date |
Document | Andrew Raal | Superintendent - Closed | 29/7/22 | |
Owner: | Mines | |||
Authorised by: | Daryl Robinson | Manager - Environment & | 29/7/22 | |
Mine Rehabilitation | ||||
"If it's not safe, don't do it." | Page 1 of 82 |
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Document Owner: | Env Supt | |||||||
Document Approver: | Env & Rehab Mgr | |||||||
WHITEHAVEN GROUP | Revision Period: | 3 years | ||||||
Issue: | 1 | |||||||
Last Revision Date: | November 2023 | |||||||
WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN | ||||||||
Contents | ................................................................................ | 4 | ||||||
2 | 1.4.2 | FUTURE LAND USE | 14 | |||||
FINAL LAND USE | 15 | |||||||
2.1 | REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR REHABILITATION | 15 | ||||||
2.2 | FINAL LAND USE OPTIONS ASSESSMENT | 26 | ||||||
2.3 | FINAL LAND USE STATEMENT | 26 | ||||||
2.4 | FINAL LAND USE AND MINING DOMAINS | 26 | ||||||
2.4.1 FINAL LAND USE DOMAINS | 26 | |||||||
3 | 2.4.2 | MINING DOMAINS | 26 | |||||
REHABILITATED RISK ASSESSMENT | 28 | |||||||
3.1 | SUMMARY OF RISK ASSESSMENT | 28 | ||||||
3.2 | REHABILITATION RISK ASSESSMENT | 28 | ||||||
3.2.1 SPECIFIC RISKS RELATING TO REHABILITATION | 29 | |||||||
3.2.2 | FURTHER STUDIES/ACTION PLAN | 30 | ||||||
4 REHABILITATION OBJECTIVES AND REHABILITATION COMPLETION CRITERIA | 31 | |||||||
4.1 | PA 10_0015 REQUIREMENTS | 31 | ||||||
4.2 | SPECIFIC REHABILITATION OBJECTIVES | 31 | ||||||
4.2.1 SHORT TERM REHABILITATION AND CLOSURE OBJECTIVES | 31 | |||||||
4.2.2 LONG TERM REHABILITATION AND CLOSURE OBJECTIVES | 32 | |||||||
4.3 | DOMAIN REHABILITATION OBJECTIVES | 32 |
- REHABILITATION COMPLETION CRITERIA................................................................. 33
- REHABILITATION OBJECTIVES AND REHABILITATION COMPLETION CRITERIA - STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION ........................................................................................... 42
- STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLAN.................................................................. 42
- SUMMARY OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT COMPLETED TO DATE............ 43
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WHITEHAVEN GROUP
Document Owner: | Env Supt |
Document Approver: | Env & Rehab Mgr |
Revision Period: | 3 years |
Issue: | 1 |
Last Revision Date: | November 2023 |
WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
4.5.3 | PROPOSED FUTURE CONSULTATIOIN | 44 | |
5 FINAL LANDFORM AND REHABILITATION PLAN | 45 | ||
6 | REHABILITATION IMPLEMENTATION | 48 | |
6.1 | LIFE OF MINE REHABILITATION SCHEDULE | 48 | |
6.1.1 | INFRASTRUCTURE | 48 | |
6.1.2 | MINING ACTIVITIES | 49 | |
6.1.3 | MINE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE | 49 | |
6.1.4 | REHABILITATION ACTIVITIES | 49 | |
6.2 | LOM REHABILITATION PLANS | 50 | |
6.3 | PHASES OF REHABILITATION AND GENERAL METHODOLOGIES | 52 | |
6.3.1 | ACTIVE MINING PHASE | 53 | |
6.3.2 | DECOMMISSIONING | 58 | |
6.3.3 | LANDFORM ESTABLISHMENT | 61 | |
6.3.4 | GROWTH MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT | 63 | |
6.3.5 ECOSYSTEM AND LAND USE ESTABLISHMENT | 64 | ||
6.3.6 ECOSYSTEM AND LAND USE DEVELOPMENT | 66 | ||
6.3.7 REHABILITATION COMPLETION (SIGN OFF) | 66 | ||
6.4 | REHABILITATION OF AREAS AFFECTED BY SUBSIDENCE | 66 | |
7 REHABILITATION QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESS | 67 | ||
8 | REHABILITATION MONITORING PROGRAM | 70 | |
8.1 | ANALOGUE SITE BASELINE MONITORING | 70 |
- REHABILITATION ESTABLISHMENT MONITORING .................................................... 70
- MEASURING PERFORMANCE AGAINST REHABILITATION OBJECTIVES AND REHABILITATION COMPLETION CRITERIA ........................................................................... 70
- ANNUAL REHABILITATION WALK OVER INSPECTIONS ..................................... 70
- ANNUAL REHABILITATION MONITORING ............................................................ 71
- REHABILITATION PERFORMANCE....................................................................... 72 REHABILITATION RESEARCH, MODELLING AND TRIALS ................................................ 73
- FUTURE REHABILITATION RESEARCH, MODELLING AND TRIALS .......................... 73 10 INTERVENTION AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT ............................................................... 74 11 REVIEW, REVISION AND IMPLEMENTATION..................................................................... 79
- REVIEW AND REVISION OF PLAN ............................................................................... 79
- IMPLEMENTATION........................................................................................................ 79 ACCOUNTABILITIES ................................................................................................................... 80 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION .............................................................................................. 809
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WHITEHAVEN GROUP | Revision Period: | 3 years | |
Issue: | 1 | ||
Last Revision Date: | November 2023 |
WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
1 INTRODUCTION TO MINING PROJECT
Rocglen Coal Mine (Rocglen) (formerly known as Belmont Coal Project) is an open cut pit owned by Whitehaven Coal Limited and operated by Whitehaven Coal Mining Pty Ltd (Whitehaven) located approximately 28km north of Gunnedah (see Figure 1-1).
This Rehabilitation Management Plan (RMP, the Plan) has been prepared in accordance with the Mining Exploration and Geoscience - Resources Regulator's (RR) Form and Way: Rehabilitation MPlanagement Plan forpreparedLarge Mines (RR, 2021) and associated guidelines (refer Section 1.3). The
has also been to satisfy Condition 36, Schedule 3 of PA 10_0015 which requires Whitehaven to prepare and implement a Rehabilitation Management Plan to the satisfaction of the DRG (now Resources Regulator).
1.1 HISTORY OF OPERATIONS
Rocglen was originally granted consent (PA 06_0198) on 15 April 2008 under Part 3A (now repealed) of the EP&A Act. ML 1620 was subsequently issued for the Rocglen operation in June 2008 and coal production commenced in late 2008.
In summary, approximately 1.5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of run-of-mine (ROM) coal is approved to be mined within the open cut pit using truck and excavator method. The coal is transported approximately 30 kilometres by road to the Whitehaven Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) for selective washing and subsequent transport by rail to the Port of Newcastle or by road to domestic customers.
On 27 May 2010, an approval was issued under Section 75W of Part 3A of the EP&A Act to modify PA 06_0198 (PA 06_0198 MOD 1). This modification permitted Whitehaven to undertake unplanned emergency earthworks to stabilise the eastern highwall following slipping adjacent to a fault structure in the north-eastern portion of the approved open cut pit. It was determined that stabilisation works were required to ensure the long-term stability and safety of the highwall, which would in-turn enable on-going extraction efforts at the northern end of the approved open cut.
Following further drilling and definition of the local geological features, as well as additional reviews of the mine plan, Whitehaven proposed to expand operations at Rocglen in order to maximise resource recovery and allow for improved mine progression.
Whitehaven received PA 10_0015 on 27 September 2011 under Part 3A of the EP&A Act for the Rocglen Coal Mine Extension Project. ML 1662 was issued on 9 January 2012 to cover the Rocglen Coal Mine Extension Project, specifically the water management and overburden emplacement activities proposed to occur outside the bounds of ML 1620. PA 06_0198 was subsequently surrendered.
Approval was issued for a modification to PA 10_0015 (MOD 1) on 10 November 2014 relating to coal haulage. Two further modifications to PA 10_0015 were granted on the 24 August 2015 and the 10 February 2017 and related to receipt of coal rejects and coal haulage respectively. An additional modification was approved in October 2018 to allow the continuation of the increased haulage into the 2018 calendar year. A Project Layout is shown in Figure 1-2
Coal production ceased in July 2019, with coal transporting activities ceasing in July 2019. Site activities are currently focused on decommissioning, rehabilitation, and water management.
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Inset A
Scale: 1:15,000,000
SITE LOCATION
PA 10_0015
I
\au.slr.localCorporateProjects-SLR630-SrvNTL630-NTL630.30268.00000 Whitehaven RMPs 6 SLR Data 1 GISRocglenRocglen Figure 1 - Regional Locality.mxd
WHITEHAVEN
REHABILITATION
MANAGEMENT PLAN
ROCGLEN
FIGURE 1
REGIONAL LOCALITY
LEGEND
Project Approval Boundary
Data Sources:
DoR NSW Exploration and Mining Leases
NSW LPI Base Map
0 | 1 | 2Kilometres | |||
Coordinate System: | GDA2020 | ||||
Scale: | 1:50,000 at A3 | ||||
Project Number: | 630.30268 | ||||
Date: | 25-Jul-2022 | ||||
Drawn by: | LC |
Annual Reporting Period: 2021
Inset A
Scale: 1:15,000,000
SITE LOCATION
PA 10_0015
I
\au.slr.localCorporateProjects-SLR630-SrvNTL630-NTL630.30268.00000 Whitehaven RMPs 6 SLR Data 1 GISRocglenRocglen Figure 2 - Site Layout.mxd
WHITEHAVEN
REHABILITATION
MANAGEMENT PLAN
ROCGLEN
FIGURE 2
SITE LAYOUT
LEGEND
Project Approval Boundary
Data Sources:
DoR NSW Exploration and Mining Leases NSW LPI Base Map
Nearmap Imagery 2022
0 | 250 | 500 | ||||||
Metres | ||||||||
Coordinate System: | GDA2020 | |||||||
Scale: | 1:14,869 at A3 | |||||||
Project Number: | 630.30268 |
Date:27-Jul-2022
Drawn by:LC
Annual Reporting Period: 2021
Document Owner: | Env Supt | ||
Document Approver: | Env & Rehab Mgr | ||
WHITEHAVEN GROUP | Revision Period: | 3 years | |
Issue: | 1 | ||
Last Revision Date: | 29/7/22 |
WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
1.2 CURRENT DEVELOPMENT CONSENTS, LEASES AND LICENCES
1.2.1 DEVELOPMENT CONSENTS | ||||||
Below shows the Development Consent held by Rocglen | ||||||
Table 1-1 | Development Consents | |||||
Issuing / | Development | |||||
Responsible | Details | Date of Issue | Expiry | |||
Authority | Consent* | |||||
DPE | PA 10_0015 | Project Approval for Rocglen | 27 September 2011 | 31 December | ||
Coal Mine Extension Project | 2022 | |||||
DPE | PA 10_0015 | MOD 1 | 10 November 2014 | |||
(MOD 1) | (modification to coal haulage) | |||||
DPE | PA 10_0015 | MOD 2 | 24 August 2015 | |||
(MOD 2) | (changes to receipt of reject) | |||||
DPE | PA 10_0015 | MOD 3 | 10 February 2017 | |||
(MOD 3) | (modification to coal haulage) | |||||
DPE | PA 10_0015 | MOD 4 | 1 November 2018 | |||
(MOD 4) | (modification to coal haulage) |
*Does not include Development Consents surrendered following approval of PA 10_0015.
1.2.2 EPBC APPROVAL
The Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) requires consideration of the potential for a "significant impact" to be imposed by an activity on a 'matter of national environmental significance'. In the event that such an impact is likely to be imposed, the activity must be referred to the Commonwealth for determination as to whether it constitutes a "controlled action". Where a development activity does constitute a controlled action, approval from the Australian Government Minister for the Environment is required.
EPBC Act approval EPBC 2010/5502 was granted on 21 December 2011 by the former Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (now Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment). EPBC 2010/5502 was granted in relation to listed threatened species and communities and listed migratory species and expires on 16 November 2025.
Conditions within EPBC 2010/5502 that refer to rehabilitation are associated with biodiversity offsets and are addressed within the Rocglen Biodiversity Offset Management Plan.
1.2.3 AUTHORISATION
Rocglen currently holds ML 1620 and ML1662. These authorisations are outlined in Table1-2
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WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN | |||||||||||
Table 1-2 | Authorisations | ||||||||||
Issuing / | |||||||||||
Responsible | Licence | Grant Date | Expiry Date | Status | |||||||
Authority | |||||||||||
RR | ML 1620 | 10 Jun 2008 | 10 Jun 2029 | Current | |||||||
RR | ML 1662 | 9 Jan 2012 | 9 Jan 2033 | Current |
1.2.4 OTHER APPROVALS
A summary of all licences held by Rocglen for the mining operations are included in Table1-3.
Table 1-3 | Licences | ||||||
Issuing / | |||||||
Responsible | Licence | Licence Type | Grant Date | Expiry date | |||
Authority | |||||||
Environment | EPL 12870 | Environment | 31 | Jul | 2008 | Anniversary | |
Protection | Protection | (Variation | issued | date 31 July | |||
Authority (EPA) | Licence | 25 Oct 2021) | |||||
WaterNSW | 90BL254855 | Monitoring bores | Various | - | |||
90BL254856 | |||||||
90BL254857 | |||||||
90BL254858 | |||||||
90BL254859 | |||||||
90BL110883 | |||||||
90BL104367 | |||||||
90BL102845 | |||||||
WaterNSW | WAL 36758 | Water Access | 4 September 2014 | Perpetuity | |||
Licence (WAL) | |||||||
1.3 APPLICABLE GUIDELINES
In addition to the regulatory requirements identified above, this Plan has been prepared with | |
consideration for the following guidelines, standards and policies: | |
| Form and way: Rehabilitation Management Plan (large mines); |
| Form and way: Rehabilitation objectives, rehabilitation completion criteria and final landform |
and rehabilitation plan for large mines; |
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WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
- Guideline: Rehabilitation risk assessment;
- Guideline: Rehabilitation objectives and rehabilitation completion criteria;
- Planning for Integrated Mine Closure Toolkit (ICMM, 2008);
- Mining Amendment (Standard Condition of Mining Leases - Rehabilitation) Regulation 2021;
-
Strategic Framework for Mine Closure (ANZMEC 2000);
Leading Practice Sustainable Development Program for the Mining Industry - Mine Closure - and Completion, Mine Rehabilitation (Commonwealth Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources);
- Best Practice Environmental Management in the Mining Industry Series;
-
Enduring Value (Mineral Council of Australia 2015); and
State Environmental Planning Policy (Mining, Petroleum Production and Extractive
Industries) 2007 (Mining SEPP).
1.4 LAND OWNERSHIP AND LAND USE
The Rocglen Project Approval Area covers an area of approximately 460 hectares within the Parish of Tulucumba, County of Nandewar and Local Government Area of Gunnedah. It incorporates all or part of the following land parcels:
Lot 1 DP 787417;
Part Lot 1 DP 1120601;
Lot 4 DP 1120601; and
Public roads and road reserves.
The schedule of Lands attached to PA 10_0015 is summarised in Table1-4 and is reproduced in Appendix A.
Table 1-4 Schedule of Lands
Area | Land Title Reference | Land Ownership |
Mining Lease | Lots 1 and 4 in DP 1120601 | Freehold (Whitehaven) |
Lot 1 in DP 787417 |
Land ownership within and surrounding Rocglen is shown in Figure 1-3,Figure 1-4 and Figure 1- 5.
Whitehaven currently owns all freehold land within ML 1620/1662 as well as the surrounding properties identified as "Glenroc", "Costa Vale", "Yarrawonga", "Yarrari", "Belah", "Bentry", "Stratford" and that part of the "Roseberry" property contained within the bounds of Rocglen. The remaining surrounding properties are privately owned.
The Vickery State Forest adjoining Rocglen to the west is owned by the Crown. The remaining land within and surrounding Rocglen occurs as public road reserves.
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WHC-PLN-ROCGLEN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Rocglen is located in an area that is relatively isolated from other mining or extractive industry operations. At the time of preparing this RMP, the nearest operational mine is Whitehaven's Tarrawonga Coal Mine at approximately 15 kilometres north-west of Rocglen. Other mines within the vicinity are Vickery Extension Project and the closed Canyon Coal Mine which has now been incorporated within the Vickery extension project.
1.4.1 HISTORIC AND CURRENT LAND USE
The majority of ML 1620/1662 is utilised for open cut coal mining and mining-related activities permitted under PA 10_0015 and has been disturbed by historic land clearing, long-term agricultural production and/or coal mining. Successive years of such disturbance have limited the presence of remnant vegetation to relatively small, scattered areas, isolated stands and individual trees.
The Vickery State Forest adjoins Rocglen to the west and is declared under the Brigalow and Nandewar Community Conservation Area Act 2005 to be within Community Conservation Area (CCA) Zone 4 Vickery. Approximately 3.5 kilometres to the east of Rocglen is the CCA Zone 2 Kelvin. In accordance with the Brigalow and Nandewar Community Conservation Area Act 2005 this land, which was formally known as the Kelvin State Forest, is reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 as Aboriginal area.
The Whitehaven Regional BioBank Site is located to the east of Rocglen and provides for the long- term conservation of approximately 1,500 hectares of land owned by Whitehaven. This area of land has been registered as a BioBank Site under Part 7A of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). It is being actively managed via a Rocglen Biodiversity Offset Management Plan with in-perpetuity management funding and has the highest level of conservation status outside of National Parks via a BioBanking Agreement registered on the land title in-perpetuity.
The remaining land area within the vicinity of Rocglen is characterised by traditional agricultural production comprising a combination of livestock grazing and crop cultivation.
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Whitehaven Coal Limited published this content on 22 April 2024 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 22 April 2024 02:41:03 UTC.