With Acland mine approved, New Hope’s next step is luring back 400 workers
Mining company New Hope admits its priority now is to lure back up to 400 workers, many of whom dispersed across the country when its newly-approved Acland coal mine began to ramp down in 2019.
New Hope a reported a doubling of its interim profit. (Image supplied).
After 15 years of fending off political, landholder and activist objections to the mine, the company last week won a mining lease for a $1 billion New Acland Stage 3 expansion project and desperately wants those workers back as it looks to start mining coal as early as next year.
The decision to grant the mining lease came at a time of record prices for thermal coal and booming revenue for New Hope.
Chief executive Rob Bishop said he did not expect the still-to-be-granted water licence to be denied. However, the water licence may provide another hurdle with an expectation there may be an appeal if it is granted.
Bishop said the vast majority of the workers were keen to come back. Many were local farmers who subsidised their income with work at the mine.
“We will approach them soon to come back,” Bishop said.
He said the local community would benefit from an additional 400 workers plus New Hope’s local spending.
“It (the public benefit) will be in excess of $1 billion. It’s fair to say that at a local, state and federal level the community will benefit significantly,” he said.
It said the opposition was ” an ideological minority”.
“There needs to be a point when departments move on and make a decision,” he said.
Activist group Lock the Gate said it was an appalling outcome for the local community, who have repeatedly told the Queensland Government that the future of their region is in farming and renewables, not coal mining.
