New Hope Corporation is poised to overcome years of legal challenges to resume its operational ramp-up at the New Acland coal mine in Queensland.
It comes as the company reached an agreement with the Oakey Coal Action Alliance (OCAA) to discontinue its Land Court of Queensland appeal, which contested the Queensland Government’s decision to grant an associated water licence for the New Acland Stage 3 project.
The agreement, facilitated by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), requires consent from the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers before formal filing with the Land Court of Queensland.
Once the deal is finalised, the resolution will end years of legal challenges by OCAA against New Acland’s Stage 3 approvals, allowing the project to continue its operational ramp-up without further delays.
New Hope chair Robert Millner said the conclusion of legal proceedings would provide much-needed certainty for the local community and the company.
“The end of OCAA’s challenge gives us confidence to progress our ramp-up plan and develop the Manning Vale west mining area,” Millner said.
Since resuming operations, the New Acland workforce has grown to almost 300 employees, with plans to extend that to 400 permanent full-time roles once Stage 3 is fully developed.
“New Acland Stage 3 ensures secure jobs in the region, with more than 90 per cent of the current workforce living within 50km of the site,” Millner said.
“New Acland provides an essential energy product to our trading partners in Asia and domestically and will bring significant economic benefits for Queensland, and especially the Darling Downs region.”
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