Spur Hill Underground

About the Asset

Malabar holds an exploration lease (EL 7429) over a 33 km2 area of land to the west of the the Maxwell Underground Project, known as the Spur Hill Underground Coking Project (Spur Hill Underground).

The Spur Hill Underground Project is a proposed underground mining operation which would be capable of producing approximately 154 Mt of coal at a rate of up to 10 Mtpa for 25 years.

The nearby Maxwell Infrastructure area, which includes a coal preparation plant, train load out, administration area and workshops, will be used to process and rail Spur Hill’s coal. By using the existing infrastructure Malabar will reduce the impact of its operations on the local community, neighbours and the environment.

Resources

Lease	JORC Resources (Millions of tonnes)
	Measured and Indicated	Inferred	Total
EL7429 (Spur Hill)	394	232	626

maxwell project map 20190618

Project Update

Malabar is currently undertaking exploration studies and detailed technical work to determine the next steps in developing the project.

Documents

Environmental Approvals

Spur Hill Management Pty Ltd (SHM) manages environmental studies and approvals on behalf of the joint venture between Spur Hill U.T. Pty Ltd and Malabar Coal Ltd.

Approvals for exploration activities are obtained in accordance with the conditions of Exploration Licence (EL) 7429. SHM is seeking approval for the Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project under NSW legislation (Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979) and Commonwealth legislation (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999).

Exploration Approvals

Gateway Certificate

The Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project was the first new coal project in NSW to lodge an application for a Gateway Certificate (a Gateway Application). A Gateway Certificate was issued by the NSW Mining & Petroleum Gateway Panel in March 2014.

The NSW Mining & Petroleum Gateway Panel of experts concluded "that in general terms, the panel believes that the likely impacts on BSAL [biophysical strategic agricultural land] and CIC [critical industry clusters] within the Project area should be tolerable and manageable.' The recommendations of the Gateway Panel will be considered during preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.

To view the Gateway Application and the Gateway Certificate for the Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project click here.

Environmental Impact Statement Process

The Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project is classified as State Significant Development, meaning that the NSW Minister for Planning, or the Planning Assessment Commission (under delegation) will assess the Project and make a determination.

SHM requested Environmental Assessment Requirements (EARs) from the NSW Department of Planning & Environment to inform the requirements for the Environmental Impact Statement. This request includes an overview of the Project and identifies key potential issues for further assessment. EARs were issued by the Department in July 2014.

To view the Request for EARs for the Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project and the EARs issued by the Department click here.

Commonwealth EPBC Act Process

SHM lodged a Referral to the Australian Department of the Environment under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (known as the 'EPBC Act') in June 2014. To view the Referral for the Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project click here.

The Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project requires assessment and approval under the EPBC Act in relation to water resources. The Project will be assessed under the bilateral agreement with the NSW Government.

SHM is in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will include an assessment of potential impacts on water resources.

Background Air Quality Monitoring

Background Dust Monitoring Data

Spur Hill Management installed an ambient air quality monitoring device known as a ‘TEOM’ in late March 2013 to gather baseline dust concentration data in the vicinity of its Exploration Licence 7429.

Information collected from the air quality monitoring device is presented below for the information of the community.

The Spur Hill Underground Coking Coal Project is not operational and has not commenced. The data below present existing (baseline) air quality in the area.

The device measures the concentrations of particulate matter less than 10 micrometres (µm) in size (PM₁₀), and particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in size (PM_2.5). PM₁₀ emissions can arise from a range of activities, from vehicle movements, mining activities and combustion sources. PM_2.5 emissions are mainly associated with combustion sources, such as vehicles, power stations, residential wood burning and bushfires.

The location of the device is presented in the following figure.

Location of Air Quality Monitoring Device near EL 7429

Measured Data – PM₁₀

All 24-hour average PM₁₀ concentrations measured by the TEOM since April 2013 and are shown on the following figure.

Measured 24-hour Average PM₁₀ Concentrations (µg/m³)⁽¹⁾

Measured Data – PM_2.5

All 24-hour average PM_2.5 concentrations measured by the TEOM since April 2013 are shown on the following figure.

Measured 24-hour Average PM_2.5 Concentrations (µg/m³)⁽¹⁾

Spur Hill Management will update the data regularly following quality control checks of the data.

(1) Micrograms per cubic metre.