SECTION 1SECTION1 - NCIG · SECTION 1SECTION1 INTRODUCTION. Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group...

NEWCASTLE COAL INFRASTRUCTURE GROUP

COAL EXPORT TERMINAL

NEWCASTLE COAL INFRASTRUCTURE GROUP

COAL EXPORT TERMINAL

SECTION 1SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION

Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group Coal Export Terminal – Environmental Assessment

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page

1 INTRODUCTION 1-1

1.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW 1-1

1.1.1 Purpose of this Report 1-1

1.1.2 Background 1-1

1.1.3 Project Summary 1-1

1.1.4 Site Location, Tenure and Past Land Use 1-5

1.1.5 Project Snapshot 1-5

1.1.6 Proponent 1-5

1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS 1-5

1.3 DOCUMENT STRUCTURE 1-9

1.4 PROJECT CONSULTANTS 1-9

LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1 Land Tenure Summary Table 1-2 Project Snapshot Table 1-3 Director-General’s Environmental

Assessment Requirements – Reference Summary

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1-1 Regional Location Figure 1-2 Project Location Figure 1-3 Aerial Photograph Showing Project General

Arrangement Figure 1-4 Newcastle Local Environmental Plan Zoning


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1 INTRODUCTION This document is an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed development of a Coal Export Terminal (CET) (the Project) by Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group Pty Limited (NCIG). The Project is located on Kooragang Island in Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), within the Newcastle local government area (Newcastle LGA) (Figures 1-1 and 1-2). The Project includes the construction and operation of a 66 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) CET, including associated rail and coal handling infrastructure and wharf/shiploading facilities on the south arm of the Hunter River. NCIG is the proponent of the Project. NCIG is a consortium of the following six companies: • Hunter Valley Energy Coal Limited;

• Centennial Coal Company Limited;

• Donaldson Coal Pty Limited;

• Excel Coal Limited;

• Felix Resources Limited (formerly White Mining Limited); and

• Whitehaven Coal Mining Pty Ltd.

1.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW

1.1.1 Purpose of this Report This EA has been prepared to accompany the Project Application, in accordance with Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 (EP&A Act). This EA assesses the environmental impacts of the Project in accordance with the Environmental Assessment Requirements (EARs) issued by the Director-General of the Department of Planning (DoP) on 26 April 2006 (Attachment 1). The EARs were issued in accordance with the requirements of Part 3A of the EP&A Act and Part 1A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation, 2000 (EP&A Regulation). Further detail on the EARs is provided in Section 1.2.

1.1.2 Background The ability for NSW coal producers to export coal through Newcastle is constrained by the capacity of the Hunter Valley coal supply chain. Since August 2003, there is evidence that some coal export growth might have been lost as a result of constraints in the system (ABARE, 2005).

Projected future coal export demand cannot be met by the existing coal loading facilities in Newcastle that are located at Carrington and Kooragang Island (Section 3.9). In September 2004, the NSW Government placed out to tender a 35 year lease for nominated portions of land on Kooragang Island for general use (including possible use as a CET). The NSW Government named NCIG as the successful tenderer for the lease of the Project site on 25 August 2005. NCIG signed the Kooragang Island Coal Loader Terminal Deed of Agreement for Lease (Agreement for Lease) for the Project site on 26 August 2005.

1.1.3 Project Summary NCIG proposes to commence construction of the CET in the first quarter of 2007. The Project comprises the following key components (Figure 1-3): • foundation preparation/capping of a rail

corridor traversing the existing Kooragang Island Waste Emplacement Facility (KIWEF) for the development of the rail spurs, rail sidings and rail loops;

• construction of rail spurs, rail sidings and rail loops, rail overpass, train unloading stations and connecting conveyors;

• re-use of dredged materials from the south arm of the Hunter River as preload and engineering fill for construction of the coal storage area, rail corridor and wharf facilities;

• construction of a coal storage area including coal stockpiles, conveyors, transfer points and combined stacker/reclaimers;

• construction of wharf facilities, shiploaders, conveyors and buffer bins;

• development of water management infrastructure including site drainage works, stormwater settlement ponds, primary and secondary settling ponds, site water pond, water tanks and stockpile spray system;

• installation of electricity reticulation and control systems;

• development of access roads and internal roads;

• construction of administration and workshop buildings;

WollemiNational Park

Barrington TopsNational Park

YengoNational

Park

DharugNational

Park

WatagansNational

Park

NEW

MAIN

Hunter

River

Hunter

River

Macdonald

River

William

s

River

Karuah

River

TuggerahLake

LakeMacquarie

Port Jackson

Broken Bay

LakeGlenbawn

LakeLiddell

Port Stephens

Riv

erNep

ean

WOLLONGONG

SYDNEY

NEWCASTLE

SINGLETON

GOSFORD

MAITLAND

Scone

NELSON BAY

Dungog

Muswellbrook

RAILWAY

COAS

T

NORTH

ENGLAND

HIGHWAY

Putty

Road

FREE

WAY

SYDN

EY

NEW

CAST

LE

HIGHWAY

PACI

FIC

PACI

FIC

HIGH

WAY

HIGHWAY

HUM

EHU

ME

PACI

FIC

PACI

FIC

HIGH

WAY

MAITLAND

RAILW

AY

MAIN

NORTHERN

RAILWAY

MAI

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NORTHERN

RAILW

AY

SOUTHERN

COAS

T

RAILWAY

RAILWAY

WESTERN

RAILWAY

RICHMOND

RAILWAY

MERRIWA

RAILWAY

SOUT

H

SOUTH

PACIFIC

OCEAN

RoyalNational

Park

PROJECTLOCATION

Newcastle

Melbourne

N E W

S O U T H

W A L E S

V I C T O R I A

Sydney

ProjectLocation

0 3010

Kilometres

Regional LocationFIGURE 1-1

NCIG-05-01 Sect1_001D

20

N C I G C O A L E X P O R T T E R M I N A L

MAINNORTHERN

RAILWAY

PacificHighway

PacificHighway

PacificHighway

PacificHighway

CormorantRoad

TomagoRoad

Industrial

Drive

NEWCASTLENEWCASTLE

LAKE

MACQUARIE

LAKE

MACQUARIE

PORT STEPHENSPORT STEPHENS

MAITLAND

HEXHAMHEXHAM

TOMAGOTOMAGO

SHORTLANDSHORTLAND SANDGATESANDGATE

MAYFIELDWEST

MAYFIELDWEST MAYFIELD

NORTHMAYFIELD

NORTH

MAYFIELDEAST

MAYFIELDEAST

TIGHES HILLTIGHES HILL

WARATAHWARATAH

GEORGETOWNGEORGETOWN

HAMILTONNORTH

HAMILTONNORTH

HAMILTONHAMILTON

ISLINGTONISLINGTON

WARATAH WESTWARATAH WEST

CALLAGHAN

NORTH LAMBTONNORTH LAMBTON

BIRMINGHAMGARDENS

BIRMINGHAMGARDENS

JESMONDJESMOND

RANKIN PARKRANKIN PARK

NEW LAMBTONNEW LAMBTON

NEW LAMBTONHEIGHTS

NEW LAMBTONHEIGHTS

LAMBTONLAMBTON

BROADMEADOWBROADMEADOW

ADAMSTOWNADAMSTOWN

HAMILTON SOUTHHAMILTON SOUTH

WARABROOKWARABROOK

MARYVILLEMARYVILLE

KOORAGANG ISLANDKOORAGANG ISLAND

NEWCASTLECBD

NEWCASTLECBD

NEWCASTLE EASTNEWCASTLE EAST

STOCKTONSTOCKTON

THE HILLTHE HILL

COOKS HILLCOOKS HILL

HAMILTONEAST

HAMILTONEAST

NEWCASTLEWEST

NEWCASTLEWEST

THE JUNCTIONTHE JUNCTIONBAR BEACHBAR BEACH

CARRINGTONCARRINGTON

MAYFIELDMAYFIELD

FERN BAYFERN BAY

Fullerton Cove

StocktonBightSt

ockt

onCh

anne

l

Hunter

RiverHunter

River

PortHunter

Hunter River (North Arm)

HunterRiver

(SouthArm)

380

000

E

6 370 000 N382

000

E

384

000

E

386

000

E

6 366 000 N

6 358 000 N

378

000

E

380

000

E

382

000

E

384

000

E

386

000

E

378

000

E

6 370 000 N

6 368 000 N

6 366 000 N

6 362 000 N

6 360 000 N

6 358 000 N

6 356 000 N

6 364 000 N

6 368 000 N

6 360 000 N

6 362 000 N

6 356 000 N

6 364 000 N

PORT WARATAH COAL SERV ICESKOORAGANG COAL TERMINAL

(A t Fu l l Deve lopmen t )

BLACKBUTTRESERVE

STOCKTON SANDSPIT

KOORAGANG WETLANDREHABILITATION PROJECT

ASH ISLAND

KOORAGANG NATURE RESERVE

PORT WARATAHCOAL SERV ICES

CARRINGTON COAL TERMINAL

PORT WARATAHCOAL SERV ICES

CARRINGTON COAL TERMINAL

HexhamSwamp

University ofNewcastle

TomagoIndustrial

Estate

NCIG Coal Export Terminal

SHORTLANDWETLANDS

BHP Closure Area

Steel River

OneSteel

HEXHAMSWAMPNATURERESERVE

KOORAGANGNATURERESERVE

LEGEND

Nature Reserve

Mangrove Area

South Arm Dredging DA-134-3-2003-i (approved)Proponent: NSW Waterways Authority

Approximate Extent of Project Key Components

High Capacity Optional Inlet Rail Spur and RailSidings

Local Government Area Boundary

Source: NCIG (2006); Connell Hatch (2006); RLMC (2006); UBD (2002)

Project LocationFIGURE 1-2

NCIG-05-01 Sect1_002M


0 21

Kilometres

Delta

Access

Road

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Access

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Tourle

Street

Tourle

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Cormorant

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Cormo

rant

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Egret

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Egret

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Heron

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Heron

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Cormorant Road

Industrial DriveIndustrial Drive

Pacific

Highway

Pacific

Highway

Raven

Teal

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SandpiperClose

TealStreet

TealStreet

CurlewStreet

CurlewStreet

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Pacifi

cNa

tiona

lAcc

essRo

adPa

cific

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nal

Access

Road

Tourle StreetBridgeTourle StreetBridge

EPL No. 6437

EPL No. 6437

Existing CormorantRoad RoundaboutExisting CormorantRoad Roundabout

KOORAGANG ISLANDKOORAGANG ISLAND

PORT WARATAH COAL SERV ICES

KO O R AGANG CO AL TER MINAL

PO R T WARATAH COAL SERV ICES

KO O R AGANG COAL TERMINAL

Wharf Facilitiesand Shiploaders

Wharf Facilitiesand Shiploaders

BHP Closure Area

Rail LoopsRail Loops

K10

K9

K8

K4

Hunter River (South Arm)

Coal Storage AreaCoal Storage Area

Kooragang Island WasteEmplacement Facility

Kooragang Island WasteEmplacement Facility

Conveyors OverCormorant RoadConveyors OverCormorant Road

Combined Stacker/ReclaimerCombined Stacker/Reclaimer

Rail Spurs andRail SidingsRail Spurs andRail Sidings

ISLA

ND

MAINLIN

E

KOORA

GANG

Approximate Extent of

Project Key Components

Approximate Extent of

Project Key Components

High Capacity OptionalInlet Rail Spur andRail Sidings

High Capacity OptionalInlet Rail Spur andRail Sidings

384

000

E

6 362 000 N

382

000

E

380

000

E

6 360 000 N6 360 000 N

384

000

E

382

000

E

380

000

E

6 362 000 N

NCIG-05-01 Sect1_004F

Source: NCIG (2006); Connell Hatch (2006)


FIGURE 1-3Aerial Photograph ShowingProject General Arrangement

Source: NCIG (2006); Connell Hatch (2006)Metres

8000 400

Water Tanks andPump StationsWater Tanks andPump Stations

Administration, Workshopsand CarparkAdministration, Workshopsand Carpark

Primary and SecondarySettling PondsPrimary and SecondarySettling Ponds

Site WaterPondSite WaterPond

Energy AustraliaProposed Substation SiteEnergy AustraliaProposed Substation Site


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• other associated minor infrastructure, plant, equipment and activities; and

• operation of the CET up to a capacity of 66 Mtpa, including the unloading of coal trains, the stockpiling of coal, and the loading of coal to ships via the wharf facilities and shiploaders.

Upgrading of electricity transmission infrastructure to supply the existing and future industrial requirements of Kooragang Island industrial facilities (including the Project) is being undertaken by Energy Australia and is not included as part of the Project or assessed in this EA. Dredged material from the approved Extension of Shipping Channels within the Port of Newcastle (DA-134-3-2003-i) would be used as construction material for the Project. Further detail of the interaction between this Project and DA-134-3-2003-i is provided in Sections 2.5.1 and 3.6.1. A description of the construction and operation of the Project, including a provisional development schedule, is provided in Section 2. An assessment of the potential environmental impacts of the Project and the proposed environmental mitigation, management and monitoring measures is provided in Section 4. Supporting appendices upon which the assessment is based are attached to this EA.

1.1.4 Site Location, Tenure and Past Land Use

The Project is located on Kooragang Island, which lies near the mouth of the Hunter River, approximately 6 kilometres (km) north-west of the Newcastle Central Business District. Kooragang Island is characterised by a combination of port and industrial land uses in the south and the Kooragang Nature Reserve in the north (Figures 1-2 and 1-3). The Project is located on lands administered by the Regional Land Management Corporation (RLMC), the Maritime Services Board of NSW and the Minister for Public Works and Services (Table 1-1). The Project is located on lands designated Zone 4(b) (Port and Industry), Zone 5(a) (Special Uses Zone – Arterial Road) and an unzoned area (Hunter River) under the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan, 2003 (Newcastle LEP) (Figure 1-4).

Kooragang Island was originally a series of deltaic islands (including Ash Island, Dempsey Island and Moscheto Island) near the mouth of the Hunter River. Europeans initially used the islands for agriculture upon settling in the area in the 1830s (Dames & Moore, 1999; Umwelt, 2003a). The islands were sporadically used for dredge spoil disposal associated with early harbour works, and from 1953, reclamation of the deltaic islands for industrial use was legislated. In 1972, BHP commenced operating a landfill on Kooragang Island (i.e. the KIWEF) (Figure 1-3). Industrial waste materials (e.g. coal washery rejects, steel manufacturing waste and construction waste) were used to reclaim land in addition to the deposition of dredged material from the Hunter River estuary and its tributaries. The Project site comprises part of the KIWEF and reclaimed land situated between the south arm of the Hunter River and existing industrial development on the island (Figure 1-3).

1.1.5 Project Snapshot Key Project information is summarised in Table 1-2.

1.1.6 Proponent The Project is being developed by NCIG (Table 1-2). The address of NCIG is:

Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group Pty Limited Post Office Box H287 Australia Square SYDNEY NSW 1215 Telephone: (02) 4929 3479

1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

A Planning Focus Meeting (PFM) for the Project was held on 8 March 2006. The objective of the PFM was to familiarise government stakeholders with the development proposal and to facilitate identification and consideration of environmental and other issues relevant to the Project. From this consultation, DoP developed the EARs for the EA (Attachment 1). A summary of the EARs is provided in Table 1-3. Table 1-3 also provides the relevant section of the EA where each issue raised in the EARs is addressed.


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Table 1-1 Land Tenure Summary

Lot/Deposited Plan (DP) Land Administrator Land Owner

Part of Lot 122 – DP 874949 RLMC Crown (NSW Treasury Crown Property Portfolio)

Part of Lot 7 – DP 1015754 RLMC Minister for Public Works and Services

Part of Lot 6 – DP 1015754 RLMC Minister for Public Works and Services

Part of Lot 20 – DP 262325 Maritime Services Board of NSW Maritime Services Board of NSW

Part of Lot 2 – DP 581473 Minister for Public Works and Services Minister for Public Works and Services

Table 1-2 Project Snapshot

Summary

Project Construction and operation of a 66 Mtpa capacity CET including rail spurs from the Kooragang Island mainline, rail sidings, rail loops, train unloading, coal handling/stockpiling and shiploading systems.

Proponent NCIG is the proponent for the Project. NCIG is a consortium of six coal companies including: Hunter Valley Energy Coal Limited; Centennial Coal Company Limited; Donaldson Coal Pty Ltd; Excel Coal Limited; Felix Resources Limited; and Whitehaven Coal Mining Pty Ltd.

Land Tenure NCIG signed an Agreement for Lease of the Project site on 26 August 2005. The Agreement for Lease outlines the conditions that NCIG must satisfy (including obtaining Project Approval) prior to entering into a 35 year lease.

Coal Transport Coal trains would enter the Project site from the Kooragang Island mainline via the rail spurs, follow the rail loops and empty their wagons into a hopper at train unloading stations. An average of approximately 26 trains would be unloaded each day. Up to a maximum of 40 trains would be unloaded on any one day.

Train Unloading Two train unloading stations would be designed to operate at up to approximately 8,500 tonnes per hour (tph).

Coal Stockpiles Coal would be stacked to a maximum height of approximately 25 metres (m) and would allow a maximum design capacity of up to approximately 6.6 million tonnes (Mt) of coal to be stockpiled at the CET. The coal stockpiles would be served by rail-mounted combined stacker/reclaimers and associated conveyor systems.

Wharf Facilities and Shiploaders

Three berths would be constructed for the CET. The berths would be served by two rail-mounted shiploaders. Each shiploader would operate at approximately 10,500 tph nominal capacity, peaking at up to 12,500 tph. Coal would be transferred from the coal stockpiles to the shiploaders via conveyors over Cormorant Road.

Shipping The wharf would be capable of receiving Cape size vessels which carry up to 230,000 tonnes (t) of coal. Up to approximately 12 ships would be loaded per week.

Water Supply Water supply requirements would be met from stormwater contained on-site and water purchased from the Hunter Water Corporation. Water would be recycled on-site to reduce the quantity of water purchased.

Project Life Expected to exceed 30 years - dependent on the future development of coal reserves in the Hunter Valley and Gunnedah Basin.

Employment Construction workforce of up to 500 employees and an operational workforce of 100 employees (at 66 Mtpa capacity).

Construction Installation, construction and commissioning of rail infrastructure, coal storage area, wharf facilities and shiploaders. An initial 33 month construction phase is expected for the CET capacity to reach 33 Mtpa. The timing of further progressive development of the CET to 66 Mtpa would depend on market demand. Construction materials would be provided from dredging activities associated with the approved Extension of Shipping Channels within the Port of Newcastle (DA-134-3-2003-i).

Hours of Operation

Construction activities with the potential to be audible at surrounding residential areas would generally be undertaken between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm, up to seven days per week. Oversize loads may be transported outside of these times to minimise traffic impacts. Dredged material from the south arm of the Hunter River would be deposited at the Project site 24 hours per day and seven days per week.

CET operations would take place 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Trains and shipping would operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Access Roads During the operation of the CET, the main access point for the Project would be via the entrance to the administration and workshop buildings located off the western end of Raven Street near the intersection of Egret Street and Raven Street. Secondary access points would be available to the wharf and rail infrastructure areas. Construction access would be via Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) approved access points.

Electricity Supply and Distribution

An internal power reticulation network would be developed for the Project. Electricity supply infrastructure to the Project would be provided by Energy Australia.

Hunter River (South Arm)

Hunter River (North Arm)

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384

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6 362 000 N

382

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6 362 000 N

BHP Closure Area

SandpiperClose

Delta

Acces

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Cormorant

Road Corm

oran

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Industrial DrivePacific

Highway

Raven Street

Raven Street

Teal

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t

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TealStreet

CurlewStreet

CurlewStreet

Pacif

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Pacif

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Tourle StreetBridge

Coal Storage Area

Steel River

OneSteel

Rail Spurs andRail Sidings

Rail Loops

MAYF IELD

MAYF IELD

WEST

MAYF IELD

NORTH

Wharf Facilities

Approximatets

Zone 4(b) Port and Industry Zone

8 a National Parks Zone

Urban Core Zone

LEGEND

Extent of Project KeyComponen

High Capacity Optional Inlet Rail Spurand Rail Sidings

Zone 4(a) Urban Services Zone

Zone 4(c) Steel River Zone

Zone ( )

Zone 6(a) Open Space and Recreation

Zone 2(a) Residential Zone

Zone 2(b)

Zone 3(a) Local Centre Zone

Zone 3(b) District Centre Zone

Zone 3(d) Mixed Uses Zone

Zone 5(a) Special Uses Zone

Zone 5(b) Special Uses Reservation Zone

Deferred Zone

Metres

8000 400Source: NCIG (2006); Newcastle LEP (2003)


NCIG-05-01 Sect1_003H

FIGURE 1-4Newcastle LocalEnvironmental Plan Zoning


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Table 1-3 Director-General’s Environmental Assessment Requirements – Reference Summary*

General/Key/Consultation Requirements Main Text Reference

General Requirements

The Environmental Assessment (EA) must include:

Executive Summary. Executive Summary – front of EA document

Description of the proposal including construction, operation and staging. Sections 1 and 2

An assessment of the environmental impacts of the Project. Section 4

Project justification with consideration of benefits and impacts of the proposal. Section 3.9

Draft Statement of Commitments Section 5

Certification by the author of the Environmental Assessment. Front of EA document

Key Assessment Requirements

The EA must include assessment of the following key issues:

Strategic Planning and Justification – The strategic basis for the Project with specific reference to the need for, the scale of, and any staging works associated with, the Project.

Sections 2 and 3.9

Air Quality Impacts – Air quality (including odour) impact assessment prepared in accordance with the Approved Methods for Modelling and Assessment of Air Pollutants in NSW (DEC, 2005a). The assessment must consider impacts of the Project in isolation and in a cumulative context during construction and operations and provide mitigation, monitoring and management measures.

Section 4.4

Noise Impacts – Noise impact assessment conducted in accordance with the NSW Industrial Noise Policy (EPA, 2000), Environmental Noise Control Manual (EPA, 2004a) and the NSW Environmental Noise Criteria for Road Traffic Noise (EPA, 1999). The assessment must consider the impact of the Project on the residential areas of Warabrook, Mayfield, Carrington and Stockton in isolation and in a cumulative context and provide mitigation, monitoring and management measures.

Section 4.3

Water Quality and Hydrological Impacts – Assessment of water quality (surface and groundwater) impacts during both the construction and operation of the Project. Consideration of how the Project will alter the surface profile of landfill areas, and how a capping strategy can be implemented for the altered areas that meet performance requirements in accordance with Environmental Guidelines: Solid Waste Landfills (EPA, 1996). The assessment must also consider the hydrodynamics of the Hunter River, Hunter River estuary and associated aquifer systems. Water quality and hydrodynamic mitigation, monitoring and management measures must also be outlined.

Sections 2.4.1, 2.5.1, 2.8, 4.6 and 4.7

Ecological Impacts – Flora and Fauna impact assessments prepared in accordance with the Guidelines for Threatened Species Assessment (DEC and DPI, 2005). The assessments must specifically consider threatened and migratory species and communities listed under both NSW and Commonwealth legislation that have been recorded in the Kooragang and surrounding wetland areas.

Sections 4.8 and 4.9

Heritage Impacts – Aboriginal heritage assessment prepared in accordance with the Draft Guidelines for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment and Community Consultation (DEC, 2005b) and an assessment of Non-Aboriginal heritage.

Section 4.10

General Environmental Risk Analysis – Environmental risk analysis (ERA) to identify potential environmental impacts associated with the Project (construction and operation). The ERA must identify mitigation measures and potentially significant residual environmental impacts after the application of the proposed mitigation measures.

Section 3.8

Consultation Requirements

Consultation must be undertaken with the following parties during the preparation of the EA:

• Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage;

• NSW Department of Environment and Conservation;

• NSW Department of Natural Resources and Hunter Catchment Management Trust;

• NSW Department of Primary Industries;

• Australian Rail Track Corporation and NSW Rail Infrastructure Corporation;

• Newcastle City Council and Port Stephens Council;

• Mayfield Residents Group, Stockton Community Forum, Citizens and Kooragang Alliance (CAKA) and the Hunter Bird Observers Club; and

• the local community.

Section 3.7

* The complete version of the Director-General’s EARs is presented in Attachment 1.


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The Project will be assessed in accordance with the framework established by the EP&A Act and the EP&A Regulation. Approval for the Project is sought under Part 3A of the EP&A Act. The development approval process is outlined in further detail in Sections 3.1 to 3.6.

1.3 DOCUMENT STRUCTURE The EA comprises a main text component and supporting study components, which include Appendices A to J. An overview of the main text is presented below.

Section 1 Provides background information on the Project including an overview of the Project and EA document.

Section 2 Describes the Project, including construction and operational activities.

Section 3 Outlines the statutory context for the Project, describes the consultation undertaken, summarises the outcomes of the ERA and provides a justification for the Project having regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development (ESD).

Section 4 Details the environmental assessment for the Project including a description of the existing environment, an assessment of potential impacts and a description of environmental mitigation and management measures.

Section 5 Provides NCIG’s Draft Statement of Commitments detailing measures for environmental mitigation, management and monitoring for the Project.

Section 6 Lists documents referenced in Sections 1 to 5 of the EA.

Section 7 Defines abbreviations, acronyms and terms used in Sections 1 to 5 of the EA.

Attachments to the main text are also provided as follows: Attachment 1 Director-General’s Environmental

Assessment Requirements

Attachment 2 Record of Aboriginal Consultation

Attachment 3 Peer Review Letters

Appendices A to J contain supporting documentation, including a number of independent specialist reports: Appendix A Construction, Operation and Road

Transport Noise Impact Assessment

Appendix B Air Quality Impact Assessment

Appendix C Road Transport Assessment

Appendix D Land Contamination and Groundwater Assessment

Appendix E Flora Assessment

Appendix F Fauna Assessment

Appendix G Socio-Economic Assessment

Appendix H Visual Assessment

Appendix I Preliminary Hazard Analysis

Appendix J Environmental Risk Analysis

1.4 PROJECT CONSULTANTS This EA was prepared by Resource Strategies Pty Ltd with specialist input provided by the following organisations/specialists: • NCIG Project Team and Connell-Hatch

(Project Description, Mitigation Measures, Environmental Management and Monitoring Programmes);

• Holmes Air Sciences (Air Quality Impact Assessment);

• Heggies Australia (Construction, Operation and Road Transport Noise Impact Assessment);

• EDAW Australia (Visual Assessment);

• Masson Wilson Twiney (Road Transport Assessment);

• Gillespie Economics (Socio-Economic Assessment);

• RCA Australia (Land Contamination and Groundwater Assessment);

• Safe Production Solutions (Environmental Risk Analysis);

• Connell-Hatch (Flora and Fauna Baseline Surveys and Water Management Report); and

• Professor David Goldney (BSc Dip Ed PhD DSc MEIA); Principal Consulting Ecologist, Western Research Institute Ltd; Adjunct Professor, Charles Sturt University; and Visiting Professor, University of Sydney, Orange Campus (Flora and Fauna Assessments).


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In addition, the following specialists were commissioned as peer reviewers: • Fauna Assessment (Frogs) – Associate

Professor Michael Tyler (MSc DSc); Visiting Research Fellow, Department of Environmental Biology, University of Adelaide.

• Fauna Assessment (Frogs) – Doctor Arthur White (BSc PhD Dip Ed); Director Biosphere Consultants Pty Ltd.

SECTION 1SECTION1 - NCIG · SECTION 1SECTION1 INTRODUCTION. Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group...

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