This week CEO of Anglo American’s coal business Seamus French called on the NSW Government to uphold recent comments about planning system reform and provide certainty for the Drayton workforce.

“Anglo American will develop a new project to provide employment and operational continuity for the Drayton workforce, address the Planning Assessment Commission’s (PAC) October 2014 report and deliver world-class environmental management practices around rehabilitation, noise, dust, visual amenity, proximity to neighbours and equine health,” Mr French said.

The new project has been reduced to the Blakefield and Whynot pits in order to provide a buffer between horse studs.

The life of mine will be 15 years and the total tonnes produced will be 75 million.

“The direct economic loss to NSW of the concessions Anglo American has made to the Drayton South reserve will be around $7 billion of coal revenue and a reduction in the life of the operation from 27 to 15 years, wiping out the associated State Government Royalties of approximately $360 million as well as significant wages and other benefits to suppliers and the local community,” Mr French said.

He believes as the company makes the necessary compromises that it receive an assessment to take the wider external factors into consideration.

“We feel the projected $900 million in annual regional economic benefits to the Hunter Valley and to NSW has been ignored by the PAC up until this point and immediate action is required to save the jobs of our workforce,” he said.

“We will immediately begin work on an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project to lodge early in the New Year.

“We ask the PAC to complete a fair and balanced assessment of the Drayton mine extension project based on the scientific evidence we have repeatedly presented and the further significant concessions that have been provided by the company, employees and NSW taxpayers as part of the new plan.”