Time running out for Mt Thorley Warkworth

Rio Tinto’s energy boss has warned that time is running out for Mt Thorley Warkworth coal mine in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Speaking at a lunch in Sydney, Harry Kenyon-Slaney said that mine would not be economically viable beyond the end of next year because it would not be able to run at full capacity without approval to expand.

The company has been fighting an ongoing battle to grow the mine since original approval for expansion was rejected by the state Land and Environmental Court, a decision that was later upheld by the state Supreme Court.

Rio Tinto launched a revised expansion plan in June and Kenyon-Slaney urged the NSW government to expedite approval before time ran out on the mine: “We are encouraging the NSW government to consider it because the time is ticking on Mt Thorley,” he said. “We’ve got a brief extension that has kept the operation alive but we really do need to see these issues resolved and hopefully permission for the life extensions to take place.”

Written by Jonathan Rowland

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/10092014/world-coal-time-running-out-for-rio-tinto-mt-thorley-warkworth-coal-mine-coal1307/