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Australian environment department to assess Alpha North coal project proposal

Australia's federal environment department has decided to evaluate the development proposal for Waratah Coal Pty. Ltd.'s Alpha North coal project in Queensland.

The proposal includes construction and operation of a coal mine, comprising underground longwalls and open-cut pits, and associated infrastructure.

According to the May 21 release, the project will require approval under the environment protection and biodiversity conservation act before it can proceed.

The review will include assessment of the mine's impact on the Great Barrier Reef, world and national heritage places, threatened and migratory species, and a water source.

In the early April initial advice statement, Waratah said that project construction is planned to kick off in 2027, with mining operations to start in 2030. The mine will be close to Adani Enterprises Ltd.'s Carmichael coal project.

Alpha North intends to mine 56 million tonnes per annum of run-of-mine coal from each of the two mining areas, which will be later processed to produce 40 million tonnes per annum of product coal.

The project, proposed by Clive Palmer, will be the biggest open-cut coal mine in the Southern Hemisphere with a footprint of 144,000 hectares, The Guardian wrote May 22.

Environmental groups were rooting for an outright rejection of the proposal on grounds that it fails to include construction of a rail line or expansion of the Abbot Point coal loader.