2.3.4.3 Gaps

As previously stated, the CRDP for the Galilee subregion was confirmed and ‘locked-in’ for this BA as of December 2014, so any significant project-related changes since then have not altered the CRDP presented here.

Many of the most advanced mining proposals in the Galilee subregion may still be undertaking pre-mine planning and optimisation studies, so mine scheduling and production rates provided in this product are estimates only. Even mines past the EIS approvals stage require further environmental and mining-related authorisations, so the estimated commencement dates reported (e.g. in Figure 28) may vary from actual start-up time. Additionally, there remains significant uncertainty around the most likely commencement dates for the front-running mining proposals in the Galilee subregion due to various legal challenges that are underway, and the continuation of a protracted downturn in coal prices that may affect the economic viability of some mines.

Other current knowledge gaps relating to mining operations include the likelihood that actual mine production rates will vary over the life of operations due to various factors, including changes in mine sequencing rates and schedules, variability in ground conditions encountered during mining, or other unforeseen events such as those caused by inclement weather or natural hazards. Mine lifetimes will depend on a number of factors not directly known before mining commences, including fluctuations in commodity markets.

Water management strategies need to be finalised and conditions set as part of the approvals process for each proposed coal mine. Thus, there may be variations in water management plans from what is reported here and in companion product 2.1-2.2 (Evans et al., 2018) for the Galilee subregion.