Early mining at Vickery

Whitehaven Coal announced it would start construction at Vickery in June this year to enable early mining activity.

The company made the announcement as part of its quarterly report and said the board had approved the investment to start early mining of the coal deposit.

The report, lodged with the Australian Stock Exchange, noted the company would spend $150 million to overhaul mining equipment, establish water management infrastructure, construct site facilities and establish a box cut.

The initial mining activity to be undertaken will only be a portion of Vickery’s full-scale operations.

Whitehaven has said a decision about a full investment and the start of full-scale operations would be considered the by company board at an appropriate time, expected some time later this year.

In August 2020, the company’s Vickery extension project was approved by the Independent Planning Commission, followed by federal approval by then Minister for Environment, Sussan Ley.

A group of young Australians gained national attention when they challenged the former federal minister’s approval of the project, arguing that the minister had a duty of care not to harm young Australians by exacerbating climate change.

While the challenge was ultimately unsuccessful, the judge at the time ruled that the minister had a duty of care to protect young people from climate change.

Former federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley successfully appealed the ruling last year.

Full construction at Vickery is expected to create 700 jobs and will represent a $700 million capital investment.

Whitehaven says Vickery’s full net contribution to the state economy will total $1.2 billion.

At full operation, the mine is expected to employ 450 people.

As Vickery winds up, with initial construction and early mining activity, Werris Creek will start to wind down in the 2024 financial year.

Whitehaven has said equipment and people from Werris Creek would be available to transfer to Vickery.

The first coal from Vickery is expected in mid 2024, with production ramping up in the 2025 financial year.

At the time of Vickery’s approval by the Independent Planning Commission, the company’s managing director and chief executive officer Paul Flynn said the mine would further cement Whitehaven’s growing stature as a key supplier to premium overseas markets.

In response to Friday’s announcement, environmental advocacy group Lock the Gate said the company had doubled down on new thermal coal production at its Vickery project at a time when clever companies are diversifying away from fossil fuels in line with global trends.

Boggabri farmer Sally Hunter, who lives 30 kilometres away from the Vickery site, said even early stage work at Vickery would have a devastating impact on the local community, environment, and heritage sites.

“Blasting from the mine will deliver a death by one thousand vibrations to the nearby Kurrembede Homestead, which was at one time home of celebrated Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar and the likely inspiration for her poem ‘My Country’,” she said.

“Whitehaven’s Vickery coal mine also threatens a stretch of the Namoi River where champion Australian swimmer Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton famously trained while working as a station hand on Kurrembede.

“In the wake of the floods and droughts this region has endured – with the worst yet to come as climate change worsens – building a new coal mine at Vickery is a truly radical, risky and reckless act of environmental vandalism by Whitehaven Coal.

“The decision to build this thermal mine will also further reduce the Namoi Valley’s economic diversity and resilience at a time when we should be doing all we can to transition away from fossil fuels.”