Pembroke gets Olive Downs moving

Located 40km south-east of Moranbah in the coal-rich Bowen Basin, Olive Downs will include major infrastructure including a coal handling and preparation plant, rail spur, train load-out facility, coal conveyor, stockpiles, electrical transmission lines, water pipeline and access roads.

“The Olive Downs mine is estimated to be worth $10.1 billion to the gross state product and will be an absolute jobs jackpot,” Queensland Minister for Resources Scott Stewart said.

“Over its lifetime, the mine will employ up to 1000 workers in the local region as well as creating up to 700 construction jobs to build the mine and associated infrastructure including rail and transmission lines, water pipelines and access roads.

“At its peak, this mine will produce 15 million tonnes per annum of steelmaking metallurgical coal.

“This will be transported by rail to the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, for export to key international markets such as Japan, India and South Korea.”

In 2017, Olive Downs was declared a coordinated project to allow the coordinator-general to efficiently progress the project by assisting Pembroke to navigate the approvals process.

Pembroke Resources chairman and chief executive officer Barry Tudor said the official start of works at Olive Downs opened the door to new job and economic opportunities for Central Queensland.

“The high-quality steel-making coal that will be produced from our mine will contribute to national and state economies as well as much needed infrastructure across the world, delivering economic benefits and jobs from the grassroots to a global scale,” Tudor said.

Tudor said the mine would set a new standard in conserving and protecting the environment, with Stage 1 and 2 native flora and fauna conservation areas established in perpetuity, progressive rehabilitation of disturbed areas from the start of production and rigorous, ongoing environmental monitoring to ensure land and waterways are protected.

“We are also proud of our strong partnership with the Barada Barna people. The ILUA we have signed will deliver a benefits package for the entire life of the mine, including jobs, skills and training opportunities, annual contributions and a strong cultural heritage management plan,” Tudor said.

The Olive Downs project is the first that has completed the enhanced social impact assessment process under the legislation introduced in 2018 by the Palaszczuk Government.

Isaac Regional Council deputy mayor Kelly Vea Vea said Olive Downs is symbolic of a strong future for metallurgical coal and the Isaac region’s communities.

“We welcome Pembroke to the mining community and thank them for bringing a new opportunity of such incredible scale to this region,” she said.

“It’s important our council acknowledges the Queensland Government today. For years mining communities lobbied for a social impact assessment framework that gives council a seat at the table to make sure mining projects are conditioned to support the communities that support them.

“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work on the first greenfield mining project assessed under the Strong and Sustainable Resource Communities Act we fought so hard for.”