Hunter Valley Operations’ (HVO) General Manager, Dave Foster has thanked community members for their feedback on its proposal to extend the life of its Upper Hunter mines.
Dave said the proposal to continue mining received overwhelming support during the NSW Government’s public exhibition of the Environmental Impact Statement.
Of the more than 1,500 submissions lodged, more than 90 per cent were in support of the proposal.
Dave thanked people who took the time to attend community information sessions at Jerrys Plains and Maison Dieu as well as those people who made a submission to the Government.
“Ongoing community and stakeholder feedback over several years has shaped the design of the proposal,” Dave said.
“The strong show of support reflects the benefits of the proposal; continued local jobs as well as continued support to businesses, public infrastructure, community and charity organisations and community projects.”
HVO is responding to the submissions in a report to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
The Government will consider this report as part of its determination process. The proposal is also being assessed by the Federal Government.
“If the proposal is approved, HVO North will continue to operate until 2050 and HVO South will continue to operate until 2045,” Dave said.
“There will be little change to the scale or intensity of mining and no increase to approved annual production rates.
“At HVO North, the development and disturbance boundaries between Mitchell and Carrington pits will extend.
“At HVO South, the annual extraction rate will reduce, and some areas approved for mining will remain undisturbed.”
Meanwhile, HVO’s latest round of community grants is now open. Not-for-profit community groups in the Upper Hunter and Lower Hunter can gain funding for their community and environmental projects.
Dave said the grants are open to smaller-scale projects that are about making a community stronger, improving the skills or lives of local people or protecting and enhancing the environment.
“As well as providing local jobs and support for local businesses, we think it is important to support local initiatives that make our community a better place for people to live and work,” Dave said.
Grants are awarded twice a year. Applications for this round close 30 April 2023.
The last round of grants in 2022 saw seven projects share almost $21,000 in funding.
Successful projects in that round included funding for the 300 Singleton primary students to undertake leadership workshops this year.
In the first round of 2022 grants, there was support for the Singleton Business Awards and mental health awareness training for Jerrys Plains residents.
HVO has provided more than $350,000 in funding to 82 projects since 2018. This is in addition to its other charity partnerships, sponsorships and workplace giving programs.
Last month, the last two of five HVO local charity mining trucks began operation. These two trucks will support Type 1 Foundation and Singleton Community Support.
The trucks are painted in the colours of each charity to raise awareness of the charity and its services. HVO will make an annual donation to each charity, based on the truck’s haulage, as well as provide other fundraising support throughout the year.
