Bylong Coal Project Community Newsletter Issue 13 – December 2015 1

A message from KEPCO

Bylong Australia’s Chief

Operating Officer

On behalf of KEPCO Bylong Australia

(KEPCO), I would like to thank you for your

continued interest in the Bylong Coal

Project. Over the past 12 months, a number

of important project activities and milestones

have occurred.

This year, we have focused our efforts on

preparing the project Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS), which we are pleased to

have lodged alongside the Development

Application (DA) to the Department of

Planning and Environment (DP&E) in July.

The EIS is the result of four years of

comprehensive environmental monitoring,

technical studies, exploration and extensive

community consultation. Members of the

public, regulators and other interested

stakeholders were invited to view and make

a submission on the EIS during public

exhibition, and we are now preparing a

comprehensive Response to Submissions

report to be lodged early next year.

KEPCO also lodged mining lease

applications for the Project to the

Department of Resources and Energy in

July. The mining lease application process

will continue in parallel with the DA process

and conclude once development consent for

the Project has been determined.

We have proudly supported more than 15

community events and initiatives this year

through our Community Investment Fund.

Local interest in the Fund continues to grow

which demonstrates recognition of the

positive contribution KEPCO has made to

the community so far, and will continue to

make over the life of the Project.

In addition to these major project

milestones, we have continued to engage

with landholders and the local community to

gain feedback on the Project and the EIS.

We have undertaken over 700 direct

consultations with the community over the

last 12 months, including face-to-face

meetings and community information

sessions. KEPCO is committed to actively

seeking community feedback on the Project

and we will continue such engagements to

ensure stakeholders and the community are

heard and respected.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity

to wish you all a happy and safe festive

season and we look forward to working with

you in 2016.

Yours sincerely,

Chief Operating Officer KEPCO Bylong Australia

Community Newsletter Issue 13 – December 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• A message from KEPCO

Bylong Australia’s Chief

Operating Officer

• Approvals update

• Project status

• KEPCO in the

community

• 2015 Bylong Christmas

Celebration and BBQ

• Suppliers and

contractors

• Farm management

• Upcoming activities

• Christmas period

The Bylong Coal Project is 100%

owned by KEPCO Bylong Australia

Bill VatovecBill VatovecBill VatovecBill Vatovec

Bylong Coal Project Community Newsletter Issue 13 – December 2015 2

APPROVALS UPDATE

The Bylong Coal Project EIS was on

extended public exhibition from 23

September 2015 until 6 November 2015.

During the exhibition period, members of the

public were invited to review the EIS and

make a written submission to DP&E.

KEPCO held community information

sessions in Bylong, Kandos and Mudgee in

late September and early October 2015.

The sessions were advertised in various

local newspapers and publications, and

were attended by more than 35 people from

the local region, many of whom expressed

support for the Project and the opportunities

it will provide for the region.

Attendees were predominately interested in

learning more about the Project’s skill and

supply chain requirements and how they

can register their interest for procurement

and employment opportunities.

Attendees were also interested in finding out

more about the project EIS and the potential

impacts the Project may have to local traffic,

groundwater and agricultural land. KEPCO’s

EIS consultants, Hansen Bailey, were on-

hand to assist attendees with their enquiries

and provide an overview of the impact

assessment process undertaken for the

Project.

The project team outlined how KEPCO

proposes to manage any potential impacts

through avoidance, mitigation and offsetting

measures; discussing at length the

proposed management plans, namely the

Water Management System, Biodiversity

Offset Strategy and Farm Management

Plan.

DP&E received a total of 378 submissions

on the project EIS including:

• 14 Government agency submissions

• 27 special interest group submissions

• 8 organisation submissions

• 329 public submissions (from 319

submitters).

DP&E will now consider all submissions

received and issues raised, and a Response

to Submissions report will be prepared by

KEPCO.

The Response to Submissions report will

address issues raised during public

exhibition through the provision of additional

information and / or clarification of various

aspects of the EIS.

The report will then be published on the

Project’s website and submitted to DP&E for

assessment.

Following DP&E’s consideration of the

Response to Submissions report and

preparation of its Preliminary Assessment

report, the application may be referred to the

Planning Assessment Commission (PAC)

for review and consideration.

Final determination of the Project will

include input from the Australian

Government on Matters of National

Environmental Significance under the

Environment Protection and Biodiversity

Conservation Act 1999.

PROJECT STATUS

WE ARE HERE Bylong community information session

29 September 2015

*Option available to Minister

Bylong Coal Project Community Newsletter Issue 13 – December 2015 3

KEPCO IN THE

COMMUNITY

KEPCO is pleased to announce the

successful applicants of the second round of

the 2015 Community Investment Fund.

The Bylong Coal Project’s Community

Investment Fund has committed to sponsor

nine local community events and initiatives:

• Cudgegong Valley Mathematics

Enrichment Program

• Kandos High School student prizes

• Rylstone Branch Combined

Pensioners and Superannuants

luncheon

• New welding machines for Mudgee

Men’s Shed

• The Mudgee Showground Carols

• Rylstone Public School Parents and

Citizens Association

• Bylong Christmas Celebration and

BBQ

• Rylstone and District Pony Club

• Continued sponsorship of the

Rylstone-Kandos Show.

KEPCO experienced an overwhelming

response to the second round of funding,

with eighteen applications received from a

variety of local community groups and not-

for-profit organisations. The applications

were of a very high calibre, and KEPCO is

confident the grant recipients will deliver

positive experiences and outcomes to the

local community.

KEPCO established the Bylong Coal Project

Community Investment Fund in 2015 to

proactively support community initiatives

addressing resident needs through event

sponsorships and local group grants.

Community groups and organisations in

Bylong, Rylstone, Kandos and Mudgee are

encouraged to apply for funding or in-kind

support for events, programs and initiatives

that support the community.

The first round of funding supported

community groups such as the Mudgee

Disability Support Service and Rylstone

Hospital Auxiliary.

The next round of funding will open early

next year, and KEPCO looks forward to

continuing to support local community

events and programs in 2016.

2015 Bylong Christmas

Celebration and BBQ

On Friday 11 December 2015, the Bylong

Hall Committee hosted the annual Bylong

Christmas Celebration and BBQ. The event

attracted more than 60 people, and

everyone was treated to a delicious BBQ

with sausages from the local Kandos

butchery and bread rolls from Rylstone

bakery.

Santa made a surprise visit arriving on the

back of the Bylong Rural Fire Service truck

with sirens blaring, and handed out gifts and

sweets to the local children.

Kids, and big kids alike, were treated to a

quick tour of a fire fighting helicopter that

made a last minute refuelling stop at the

sportsground.

Attendees also enjoyed a performance of

Christmas themed jokes and carols in the

Hall.

The event provided an opportunity for the

local community to get together and

celebrate the festive season, and a fun-filled

evening was had by all.

Santa handing out Christmas gifts at the

Bylong Christmas Celebration and BBQ

Kandos High School Principal James

Armitage, with KEPCO Australia’s President

& CEO Je Hyeon Kim at the school’s Annual

Presentation Day

Information on future

Community Investment Fund

application rounds will be

advertised in the next issue of

the community newsletter, in

local newspapers and on the

project website:

www.bylongproject.com.au

Bylong Coal Project Community Newsletter Issue 13 – December 2015 4

SUPPLIERS AND

CONTRACTORS

KEPCO is focused on achieving an efficient

supply chain while maximising regional

economic growth by affording local people

and businesses the opportunity to grow and

build their capacity to service the Project.

KEPCO has a Local Content Policy and

Indigenous Participation Policy, and is

preparing a Local Content Plan and

Indigenous Participation Plan to facilitate the

engagement of local and Indigenous

employees and suppliers.

KEPCO and WorleyParsons’ procurement

teams are currently working to define the

supply chain requirements of the Project. As

these become known, they will be

advertised through existing local networks

and chambers of commerce, as well as on

the Industry Capability Network (ICN)

website and with other relevant

organisations. The Project will require

employees from a range of professions such

as engineers, safety managers,

environmental professionals, heavy

machinery operators, skilled underground

mine workers and maintenance personnel.

Through the ICN’s Gateway service, the

Project’s procurement team has established

a dedicated information webpage for the

Project which will enable the summary

descriptions of all work packages to be

uploaded as they arise. For more

information, and to register your interest to

supply to the Project, please visit the

‘Suppliers & Contractors’ page on our

website: www.bylongproject.com.au

FARM MANAGEMENT

KEPCO is committed to maintaining

commercial and sustainable agricultural

production on the land it owns over the life

the Project. The company is undertaking

grazing and fodder cropping activities on

KEPCO-owned properties utilising

sustainable farming techniques including

reduced till farming and rotational grazing.

Our Farm Manager is currently running

more than 1,110 head of cattle on KEPCO-

owned properties, with a view to take more

than 1,700 cattle to market in 2016.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

We are currently preparing a Statement of

Environmental Effects to carry out further

hydrogeological and geotechnical studies to

supplement information provided in the

Response to Submissions, and support the

design of the mine infrastructure.

The application is expected be lodged with

Mid-Western Regional Council by the end of

this year, with the studies anticipated to

commence in early 2016, subject to

Council’s approval.

KEPCO will also be undertaking additional

surveys of the area above the proposed

underground mine to further define the cliff

lines and supplement the detailed

information presented in the project EIS.

This work will be carried out in January 2016

using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

CHRISTMAS PERIOD

The Bylong Coal Project team will be taking

a break over the Christmas – New Year

period from 21 December 2015 until 4

January 2016. We will respond to enquiries

sent via email upon our return. For urgent

enquiries, the team can be contacted on

1800 BYLONG (295 664) between 9am and

5pm Monday to Friday (excluding public

holidays).

For more information, please

contact the Bylong Coal Project

team:

Email

bylong@worleyparsons.com

Phone

1800 BYLONG (295 664)

Office

367 Upper Bylong Road, Bylong

NSW 2849

CONTACT US:

On behalf of the Bylong Coal Project team, we wish you a

happy and safe festive season and we look forward to working with you in

2016. Cattle grazing on KEPCO-owned property