Options other than a pit lake could still be put forward for mine voids in the region, Latrobe Valley Mine Commissioner Emeritus Professor Rae Mackay said.
The commissioner, appointed by the state government to provide independent advice on mine rehabilitation, spoke at an event in Morwell on Tuesday night to give an overview of his work a year on since his appointment to the role.
Professor Mackay said the conversation around rehabilitation options and future uses for Latrobe Valley mines, and specifically the Hazelwood mine, would remain “very broad for some time”.
Professor Mackay’s comments come after Hazelwood mine owner ENGIE stuck by plans to turn Hazelwood mine into a full pit lake following Latrobe City Council’s announcement it supported retaining a section of the mine for future coal-winning with the remainder to be made available for other uses with the Great Latrobe Park put forward as a potential future option for sections of the mine void.
“We need to keep our eyes open to the possible opportunities that exist, but we also need to recognise that feasibility is the key watchword for us as we go forward,” he said.
“There is no point in having ideas that cannot be delivered financially or practically or without addressing the technical considerations.”
Professor Mackay said there was a substantial amount of ongoing work investigating options for the mines, from minimal pit filling to a full pit lake and various combinations.
“Until we get through that work it is going to be very difficult for us to become totally coalesced on one land form for each mine that actually will represent a clear strategy,” he said.
“I can appreciate where ENGIE is coming from because ENGIE is doing the work to the concepts of safe, stable and sustainable, so their vision is very strongly on what they believe is the right way to go.
“Access to water has to actually be demonstrated for that, and until that is done, the fact still remains something they need to bear in mind they may not get the full pit lake. However, that, from a technical point of view, still seems to be leaning towards the most safe, the most stable, the most sustainable outcome.”
Professor Mackay said the feasibility of the Great Latrobe Park option needed to be tested to determine whether it was a viable option into the future.
“The feasibility of that idea is both … economic and technical,” he said.
“We must understand that there is an ongoing maintenance cost that would be associated with that in perpetuity to achieve that empty pit.
“This is a personal opinion…. [that] it should be able to meet all of those underlying costs and not see them as somebody else’s responsibility.”
In regards to aspirations for future coal winning at Hazelwood mine, Professor Mackay said the amount of coal in Hazelwood mine was relatively small compared to elsewhere.
“It probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to … incur the significant costs of mothballing the mine until you can get to that small amount of coal,” he said.
“I would like to point out that somebody told me the other day there is 13 billion tonnes of material that is readily accessible elsewhere, if I compare that against the 250 million tonnes that is on the floor of Hazelwood.
“We’re not rejecting any future option – what we are saying is it is not something you can put on a piece of paper and say ‘this is very nice, we want this, that will be sufficient’ . It has to go through all the stages of development to the point where somebody will invest in it. “
For more information about the commissioner and his work, visit lvmrc.vic.gov.au.
