Adani Australia receives final clearance for Carmichael coal mine

Adani Australia on Thursday received the environmental approval to start mining at its Carmichael mine, ending an eight-year wait and costly litigation.

In a public statement, Adani Mining said that according to the approval, the mining plan of the company was in line with all the regulatory conditions set by the Australian and State Governments. “This brings to close a two-year process of rigorous scientific inquiry, review and approvals. This includes relevant reviews by Australia’s pre-eminent scientific organisations CSIRO and Geoscience Australia,” said the statement.

The company, in its statement, said it would start construction activities, including fencing, bridge and road upgrades, water management and civil earthworks on the site. “The level of construction activity will then steadily increase over the coming weeks. The project will deliver 1,500 direct and 6,750 indirect jobs during ramp up and construction, with Rockhampton and Townsville the primary hubs for employment,” the statement said.

“Today our remarkable journey of conviction, resilience, and commitment in Australia enters a new phase. I am thankful to the Queensland government and the Australian federal government for believing in the Adani Group's vision of strengthening India's energy security and creating new opportunities for the people of Australia,” said Gautam Adani, Adani Group Chairman.

Adani Mining Pvt Ltd – a subsidiary of Adani Australia - an arm of Adani Group, in 2010, entered into an agreement with the Australian government to develop the country's largest Carmichael coal mine. Adani is also building a railway line connecting the Abbot Point port to the Galilee Basin, to facilitate easy transit of coal for import.

The Carmichael Project involves the construction of a thermal coal mine in the North Galilee Basin and a 388km multi-user rail line linking the mine site with Abbot Point Port. This will be the first mine in the Galilee Basin, to be developed at a cost of more than $16 Billion.