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- 2.3 Conceptual modelling for the Namoi subregion
- 2.3.4 Coal resource development pathway
Summary
The coal resource development pathway (CRDP) for the Namoi subregion consists of six baseline coal mines and ten additional coal resource developments. There are five baseline open-cut coal mines: Boggabri Coal Mine, Rocglen Mine, Sunnyside Mine, Tarrawonga Mine and Werris Creek Mine, and one underground, longwall coal mine, Narrabri North. The ten additional coal resource developments are Boggabri Coal Expansion Project, Caroona Coal Project, Gunnedah Precinct, Maules Creek Mine, Narrabri South, Tarrawonga Coal Expansion Project, Vickery Coal Project, Vickery South Coal Project, Watermark Coal Project and Narrabri Gas Project. Eight of these additional coal resource developments are being modelled under the CRDP for the Namoi subregion: the open-cut Boggabri Coal Expansion Project, Tarrawonga Coal Expansion Project, Maules Creek Mine, Vickery Coal Project and Watermark Coal Project; the underground coal mines Caroona Coal Project and Narrabri South; and the Narrabri Gas Project. The remaining two mines, Vickery South Coal Project (open-cut coal mine) and the Gunnedah Precinct (open-cut and underground), are not being modelled due to insufficient information regarding the location and depth of mining. The Caroona Coal Project was discontinued in 2016. However, in accordance with companion submethodology M04 (as listed in Table 1) for developing a coal resource development pathway (Lewis, 2014), the project is included in the Assessment.
Detailed information on water management was only available for four of the baseline coal mines and six of the additional coal resource developments. The water management plans for these coal resource developments shared common elements such as diversion of surface water around the mine site where possible, and any water retained in the mine area will be used for mining or related operational purposes (this includes groundwater pumped to dewater mine). Progressive rehabilitation of mined-out areas is also commonly occurring as mining advances. Thus, the amount of surface water that is disconnected from a catchment and groundwater that is extracted from the system will vary during the life of the mine.

Product Finalisation date
- 2.3.1 Methods
- 2.3.2 Summary of key system components, processes and interactions
- 2.3.3 Ecosystems
- 2.3.4 Coal resource development pathway
- 2.3.5 Conceptual modelling of causal pathways
- Citation
- Acknowledgements
- Currency of scientific results
- Contributors to the Technical Programme
- About this technical product