ALTHOUGH the Drayton open cut coal mine was closed in late 2016, the site’s new owners Malabar Coal report more than 90 hectares of land has been rehabilitated during 2018.
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This is good news, as its predecessors Anglo American was, according to its Mine Operation Plan (MOP), to undertake 106ha of rehabilitation in 2017.
However, as stated in the mine’s Annual Environmental Management Report 2017, no new rehabilitation was completed in 2017, which raised questions about the regulatory supervision on rehab work.
Since buying the old Drayton site in February, 2018, Malabar Coal - owners of the adjoining Spur Hill Coal Project – has begun rehabilitation works.
The company hopes to gain approval for an underground mine covering Spur Hill and Drayton South tenements, using the existing coal handling infrastructure located at Drayton.
They have also renamed the Drayton mine to Maxwell Infrastructure.
Drayton South was the site of a protracted battle between neighbours Anglo American, who wished to develop an open cut mine, and thoroughbred studs Coolmore and Godolphin who eventually prevented that from happening.
Malabar chairman Wayne Seabrook said the rehabilitation was a priority for the local underground mining company – and is delighted by the progress made to date.
“It’s a pleasure to stand on site and watch the transformation take place first hand, from the shaping of landforms to the seeding of pasture and woodland areas for future generations,” he explained.
“But, the public don’t often have the opportunity to get this view.
“Many of our neighbours have lived in the area for generations and I know they are eager to see the mine rehabilitated to a high standard.
“That’s why we wanted to share this update so the community can really see the progress being made.
“Since having access to the mine site in March 2018, we’ve had about 30 people working on site to rehabilitate the land.
“While there is still work ahead of us, we’re on track to create a post-mining landscape that is compatible with its surroundings and capable of sustaining productive land use.
“Most importantly, what we create will be in line with the community’s standards so future generations can enjoy the land.”
Several improvements to the rehabilitation process were undertaken in 2018 including revised seed mixes to suit the soil and landscape, soil enhancement using biosolids particularly on pasture areas, and designs to create a more natural looking landscape that blends in with the surrounding area.
The company is also thinking creatively when it comes to final land use and has started technical studies to support a development application for the Maxwell Solar Project – a proposed solar farm on a portion of the rehabilitated site.
If approved, the project will have an installed capacity of about 25MW and provide 50 more jobs for the local area during construction.
Working at capacity, the solar farm would generate enough energy to power about 10,000 local homes, or all the homes in Muswellbrook and Singleton.
