Adani coal mine rail project gets nod from Aus govt

Indian conglomerate Adani Mining today won Australian government's approval to build a whopping USD 1.94 billion rail line for its Carmichael coal mine project, a "significant milestone" in the company's operations here.
Queensland state's Coordinator General last month had cleared the way for the Aus dollars 2.2 billion (USD 1.94) 300-km rail line called the North Galilee Basin Rail (NGBR) that would link Adani's Carmichael Coal Mine with Abbot point coal terminal.
The 16.5 billion Australian dollars (USD 15 billion) coal project is expected to provide electricity for up to 100 million people in India. The rail line will enable transportation of 100 million tonnes of coal annually.

After last month's clearance, the Australian subsidiary of Adani Enterprises needed the approval of Environment Minister Greg Hunt to proceed with the rail line.
The conglomerate, in a statmeent, today said it has received the final nod for its significant investments in mining and infrastructure in Queensland.
"Following on from the Commonwealth Government's approval of the Carmichael mine, as well as the Queensland Coordinator General's approval of the North Galilee Basin Rail Project (NGBR) in August, Adani welcomes today's announcement of the approval by Environment Minister Greg Hunt of the NGBR," the company said.

The development follows July's announcement by Adani of Korean giant POSCO E&C as the EPC contractor and joint venture partner on the NGBR and the company's agreement in August to acquire Linc's interest in royalties at the Carmichael mine.

Adani said these important milestones all underlined the growing confidence in the project as the shift from the approvals phase to the build phase continues.
Welcoming today's approval for the rail project, Adani Mining CEO and Country Head Jeyakumar Janakaraj said "Today's approval is a significant milestone in the life of our integrated mine, rail and port project, helping transition from approvals to the build phase."
"The minister's detailed consideration of our rail plan and subsequent approval, together with the work done by Deputy Premier Seeney, has ensured Adani is well placed to progress its long term future with Queensland," Janakaraj said.

"Our long term future with Queensland will mean more than 10,000 jobs, USD 22 billion in taxes and royalties to the state, and by helping deliver energy security, will light the lives of millions of Indians," he said.
NGBR represents a significant milestone for infrastructure development in Queensland, the statement said.