Agence France Presse
Sydney 28 July 2014
Australia has approved a massive coal mine that could ultimately provide electricity for up to 100 million Indians, angering environmentalists who warned Monday it may threaten the Great Barrier Reef.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt said approval for Indian firm Adani’s Aus$16.5 billion (US$15.5 billion) Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland state was subject to 36 conditions.
“The absolute strictest of conditions have been imposed to ensure the protection of the environment, with a specific focus on the protection of groundwater,” he said in a statement.
The development proposes open-cut and underground coal mining some 160 kilometres (100 miles) northwest of Clermont in central Queensland, as well as a 189-kilometre rail link.
It is forecast to produce 60 million tonnes of thermal coal a year for export.
