Referral summary · EPBC Act Public Portal

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Proposed Action

Bloomfield Collieries Pty Limited (Bloomfield) owns and operates Rix’s Creek Mine (RCM) located in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales (NSW). RCM is a coal mining operation located approximately 5 km north of Singleton at its closest point and both east and west of the New England Highway (NEH) (see Figure 1 within Attachment A - Figures). RCM is the collective name for Rix’s Creek North (RCN) (previously Integra Open Cut) and Rix’s Creek South (RCS) (the original Rix’s Creek Mine).

Bloomfield is seeking a new State Significant Development Consent to facilitate the continuation of open cut mining operations at RCN.

The proposed action is part of the RCN Continuation Project (the Project). The conceptual layout of the Project is shown in Figure 1 within Attachment A - Figures and entails the continuation of mining operations primarily within the existing mining authorities held for RCN.

The Project is generally comprised of the following key elements:

The relocation of an approximate 4 kilometre (km) section of the NEH to the west, including Bloomfield removing and accepting some material associated with the formation of the new road alignment at Rix’s Creek South (RCS);
The westerly advancement of the operations within the Camberwell Pit mining through the current NEH alignment;
The advancement of mining to the north and west of the Falbrook Pit out to Middle Falbrook and Stoney Creek Roads;
Maintain the overall combined peak Run of Mine (ROM) extraction rate of 6 Million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) at RCN:
Falbrook Pit to reach 3.3 Mtpa (from the currently approved 1.5 Mtpa); and
Camberwell Pit to reach 4.5 Mtpa (as currently approved);
A revised final landform, including changes to the number, location and volumes of the final voids;
Ability to mine 24/7 in all areas, including in the Falbrook Pit (currently approved between 7 am and 10 pm);
Ability to take overburden from RCN to RCS which will assist in improving rehabilitation outcomes;
The extension of mine life from that currently approved for RCN (i.e. end 2035) by approximately 14 years until the end of 2049.

Some of the mining activities associated with the Project will be within the approved project disturbance boundary for the State Approved Mining Operations for RCN (i.e. areas approved to be disturbed for topsoil stockpiles, water management and other purposes). The western extents of the Camberwell Pit Mining Area and the Falbrook Pit Mining Area will require additional disturbance of native vegetation beyond the area currently approved for disturbance for RCN.

The realignment of the NEH is the only construction works required for the Project and will require additional disturbance to the west of the Camberwell Pit Mining Area.

The proposed action that is subject to this Referral consists only of the aspects of the Project that are not part of the State Approved Mining Operations at RCN and those aspects that have the potential to impact upon matters of Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES). This includes the mining activities located within the proposed action area as illustrated on Figure 1 within Attachment A - Figures. The proposed action area covers approximately 537 ha of which around 71% (381 ha) is located outside of the State Approved RCN disturbance boundary.

The final disturbance boundary for the proposed action within this proposed action area will include the following disturbance activities:

Realignment of the NEH;
Advancement of the Camberwell Pit to the west through the current NEH alignment;
Advancements of the Falbrook Pit to the north and west out to Middle Falbrook and Stoney Creek Roads; and
Water management infrastructure associated with the NEH alignment and the proposed mining operations.

The realignment of the NEH and the advancements of the existing open cut mining areas will require the clearing of native vegetation that has not previously been approved for disturbance. This may have an impact on the local plant community types or habitat for fauna species.

The disturbance associated with the NEH realignment and the open cut mining activities proposed by the Project also has the potential to result in impacts to surface water catchments and regional groundwater resources.

The Project will facilitate the recovery of a coal resource to the west of existing State Approved Mining operations within the Camberwell Pit and to the north west of the State Approved Mining Operations within the Falbrook Pit. This includes allowing the recovery of coal within the approved mining area in the western portion of the Camberwell Pit which is currently unable to be recovered due to geotechnical considerations. The relocation of the NEH further to the west will enable the recovery of the coal resources which occur within the existing RCN mining authorisations.

The proposed action will prolong the life of State Approved Mining Operations at RCN by approximately 14 years (until the end of 2049) and facilitate the optimal recovery of coal resources within the existing mining authorities held by Bloomfield. The Project will continue to play an integral role in servicing the needs of the export coal markets as volumes of export quality coal begins to decline in the Hunter Valley.

The existing social and economic benefits of the RCM operations will continue for a further nine years (noting that RCS holds approval for mining until the end of 2040) as a result of the extended mine life for the Project. The Project will enable the ongoing annual expenditure of approximately $170 Million in goods and services and the employment of approximately 325 Full Time Equivalent employees, while supporting approximately 520 individual suppliers.

<p><strong>Proposed Action</strong></p><p>Bloomfield Collieries Pty Limited (Bloomfield) owns and operates Rix’s Creek Mine (RCM) located in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales (NSW).&nbsp; RCM is a coal mining operation located approximately 5&nbsp;km north of Singleton at its closest point and both east and west of the New England Highway (NEH) (see <strong>Figure&nbsp;1&nbsp;</strong>within<strong> Attachment A </strong>- Figures).&nbsp; RCM is the collective name for Rix’s Creek North (RCN) (previously Integra Open Cut) and Rix’s Creek South (RCS) (the original Rix’s Creek Mine).&nbsp;</p><p>Bloomfield is seeking a new State Significant Development Consent to facilitate the continuation of open cut mining operations at RCN.</p><p>The proposed action is part of the RCN Continuation Project (the Project). The conceptual layout of the Project is shown in <strong>Figure 1</strong>&nbsp;within<strong> Attachment A</strong> - Figures and entails the continuation of mining operations primarily within the existing mining authorities held for RCN.&nbsp;</p><p>The Project is generally comprised of the following key elements:</p><ul><li>The relocation of an approximate 4 kilometre (km) section of the NEH to the west, including Bloomfield removing and accepting some material associated with the formation of the new road alignment at Rix’s Creek South (RCS);</li><li>The westerly advancement of the operations within the Camberwell Pit mining through the current NEH alignment;</li><li>The advancement of mining to the north and west of the Falbrook Pit out to Middle Falbrook and Stoney Creek Roads;</li><li>Maintain the overall combined peak Run of Mine (ROM) extraction rate of 6 Million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) at RCN:</li><li>Falbrook Pit to reach 3.3 Mtpa (from the currently approved 1.5 Mtpa); and</li><li>Camberwell Pit to reach 4.5 Mtpa (as currently approved);</li><li>A revised final landform, including changes to the number, location and volumes of the final voids;</li><li>Ability to mine 24/7 in all areas, including in the Falbrook Pit (currently approved between 7 am and 10 pm);</li><li>Ability to take overburden from RCN to RCS which will assist in improving rehabilitation outcomes;</li><li>The extension of mine life from that currently approved for RCN (i.e. end 2035) by approximately 14&nbsp;years until the end of 2049.</li></ul><p>Some of the mining activities associated with the Project will be within the approved project disturbance boundary for the State Approved Mining Operations for RCN (i.e. areas approved to be disturbed for topsoil stockpiles, water management and other purposes).&nbsp; The western extents of the Camberwell Pit Mining Area and the Falbrook Pit Mining Area will require additional disturbance of native vegetation beyond the area currently approved for disturbance for RCN.&nbsp;</p><p>The realignment of the NEH is the only construction works required for the Project and will require additional disturbance to the west of the Camberwell Pit Mining Area.</p><p>The proposed action that is subject to this Referral consists only of the aspects of the Project that are not part of the State Approved Mining Operations at RCN and those aspects that have the potential to impact upon matters of Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES).&nbsp; This includes the mining activities located within the proposed action area as illustrated on <strong>Figure 1&nbsp;</strong>within <strong>Attachment A</strong> - Figures.&nbsp; The proposed action area covers approximately 537 ha of which around 71% (381 ha) is located outside of the State Approved RCN disturbance boundary.</p><p>The final disturbance boundary for the proposed action within this proposed action area will include the following disturbance activities:</p><ul><li>Realignment of the NEH;</li><li>Advancement of the Camberwell Pit to the west through the current NEH alignment;&nbsp;</li><li>Advancements of the Falbrook Pit to the north and west out to Middle Falbrook and Stoney Creek Roads; and&nbsp;</li><li>Water management infrastructure associated with the NEH alignment and the proposed mining operations.</li></ul><p>The realignment of the NEH and the advancements of the existing open cut mining areas will require the clearing of native vegetation that has not previously been approved for disturbance.&nbsp; This may have an impact on the local plant community types or habitat for fauna species.&nbsp;</p><p>The disturbance associated with the NEH realignment and the open cut mining activities proposed by the Project also has the potential to result in impacts to surface water catchments and regional groundwater resources.&nbsp;</p><p>The Project will facilitate the recovery of a coal resource to the west of existing State Approved Mining operations within the Camberwell Pit and to the north west of the State Approved Mining Operations within the Falbrook Pit.&nbsp; This includes allowing the recovery of coal within the approved mining area in the western portion of the Camberwell Pit which is currently unable to be recovered due to geotechnical considerations.&nbsp; The relocation of the NEH further to the west will enable the recovery of the coal resources which occur within the existing RCN mining authorisations.</p><p>The proposed action will prolong the life of State Approved Mining Operations at RCN by approximately 14 years (until the end of 2049) and facilitate the optimal recovery of coal resources within the existing mining authorities held by Bloomfield.&nbsp; The Project will continue to play an integral role in servicing the needs of the export coal markets as volumes of export quality coal begins to decline in the Hunter Valley.</p><p>The existing social and economic benefits of the RCM operations will continue for a further nine years (noting that RCS holds approval for mining until the end of 2040) as a result of the extended mine life for the Project. The Project will enable the ongoing annual expenditure of approximately $170 Million in goods and services and the employment of approximately 325 Full Time Equivalent employees, while supporting approximately 520 individual suppliers.</p>

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Project area

Disturbance footprint

Avoidance area

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How to guide

Map tools

The map supports panning, zooming in/out, navigating through extents*, and downloading a PDF version of the map*.

_{*This help guide may vary to your experience as elements can be configured, added or removed by the page owner.}

To move around the map, click and hold anywhere on the map and drag. To zoom in/out, use the two buttons on the bottom right (displayed as magnifying glass icons) or use the mouse/trackpad scroll function.

Full-screen can be enabled by clicking on the first button shown in the figure below. This experience is recommended for smaller screens

The extent navigator consists of the three buttons below the full-screen control. Each time the map is dragged or the zoom level changes, the viewport of the map is captured these controls enable the ability to jump back and forth across these viewports.

The previous button will return to the previously saved viewport (If applicable).

The next button will go to the next saved viewport (If applicable. Will enable once you use the previous extent button).

The home button will return to the original viewport when the map first loaded.

The fourth button will trigger a download of your current view on the map in a PDF version.

Search bar

This tool allows you to search for an address, location and a set of coordinates (currently accepted in the format of Latitude, Longitude). (Shown in Figure 1)

Once you have finished typing your search parameters you can press the Enter key or click on magnifying glass icon to perform a search, there will be a minor delay while locations are returned as suggestions. (Shown in Figure 2)

Click on the desired location and the map will place a marker on that location and zoom in on it.

To cancel or remove the marker, click on the cross icon that replaces the magnifying glass after selecting a suggested location.

Base maps

This tool allows to switch between a street and satellite base map as shown in the figure below.

Measurement

This tool allows you to draw lines and polygons specifically for measurement*. Items drawn using this tool have specific styling to identify them easier.

To delete all measurements, select the red trash icon

_{*This help guide may vary to your experience as elements can be configured, added or removed by the page owner.}

Annotation

This tool allows to draw markers, lines and text.

_{*This help guide may vary to your experience as elements can be configured, added or removed by the page owner.}

When selecting an annotation tool, you can cancel drawing/placing it by re-selecting the same annotation tool. If you have already started drawing and wish to cancel then you can press the Escape key on your keyboard.

To delete an annotation, select the delete tool as shown below. Once the button is red you can click on the annotation you wish to delete and you will be presented with a confirmation pop-up. Once an item is deleted the delete tool is disabled.

Upload

This tool allows you to submit shape files or manually drawn polygons*

_{*This help guide may vary to your experience as elements can be configured, added or removed by the page owner.}

To upload a shape file you can either drag your file directly into the 'Upload a shape' control or click on it to select your file.

Once a file has been uploaded the control will change to display the file name as shown below.

Next to the title of each upload control is a three-dot icon, you can use eye icon within the three-dot menu to toggle visibility of each set of shapes. Visibility does not affect submission.

Next to each upload control, there is a color picker that allows you to apply styling to each shape*.

To draw a shape instead click on the polygon icon at the top of 'Draw a Shape'. The same logic from annotations applies for cancelling the drawing. If upload/draw is available, you can only provide one of each.

You can also remove the shape by clicking on the 'Delete shape' located within the three-dot menu next to the file name.

Supported file formats are:

Esri Shapefile (ZIP)
KML
KMZ
GeoJSON

Layer list

This tool allows you to search and toggle layers

_{*This help guide may vary to your experience as elements can be configured, added or removed by the page owner.}

To search layers by attributes, you need to put any value from a layer's metadata and click the search icon next to the text box. It will take some time to list the layers matching the search text. You can clear the result by clicking on the 'Clear filters' button, which will list the original records.

To search layer by drawing, you need to click on the 'Filter by area' tab and then click on the 'Filter layers within area' button that should allow to draw a rectangle on the map. Once you finished drawing the rectangle it will take some time to list the layers matching the rectangle's area. You can clear the result by clicking on the 'Clear Filters' button, which will list the original records.

To toggle layers, expand the group dropdown to display the list of layers available.

Click on a checkbox to turn on the layer. If the layer has children then sub-layers will display with additional checkboxes.

Pressing on the three-dot icon on a parent layer will allow you to zoom to extent of the whole layer

Pressing on the three-dot icon on a sub layer will allow you to zoom to the extent of the sub layer, show layer attributes, filter by attribute (available on some layers) and change opacity level.

Layer Attributes

Selecting layer attributes from the three-dot menu will render a table on the bottom of the screen containing all the features within the layer. Depending on the amount of data, loading this table may take some time. During loading you can click on the cancel button which will display the currently loaded data.

In this table you can perform the following:

Click on individual rows to highlight and zoom in to a particular feature
Use the checkbox to select one/multiple/all features and then click on the pin icon to highlight and zoom it to the selected features
Use the checkbox to select one/multiple/all features and then click on the document icon to export attribute data to a CSV file
Use the polygon icon to draw a polygon on the map which will select all features within the boundaries of your drawn shape, and filter the table down
Individual column filtering as well as global table filtering

To minimise the attribute table click the attribute table header.

To expand and collapse the attribute table click the arrow icon.

To close the table, use the cross icon located on the right side.

Layers can also be interacted with by clicking on a feature with your mouse/tapping on the screen. Clicking on a feature will display an attribute pop-up.

Legend

This tool provides a styling guide on all elements rendered on the map (layers and uploaded/drawn shapes).

You can individually collapse/expand legend entries or use the 'Expand All' and 'Collapse All' buttons.

Keyboard navigation

This app supports keyboard navigation to make it more accessible for users*. Use the following keys to navigate throughout the app.

Tool Bar

'Tab' key to navigate between the toolbar buttons and menus.
'Spacebar' or 'Enter' key to interact with the selected control.

Layer List

'Tab' key to navigate between the different collapsible panels and their child items.
Arrow keys to navigate between the collapsible panel headers
'Spacebar' or 'Enter' key to open a selected panel.
'Spacebar' keys to enable the selected layer or open the layer options menu.
Arrow keys to navigate the layer option menu items, and the 'Spacebar' or 'Enter' key to interact with the selected item.
'Escape' key to close the layer options menu.

Layer Attributes

The Layer Attributes table can be opened from the layer options menu.

'Tab' key to navigate between the table controls, rows, and cells.
'Enter' key to sort a column when you have the column header selected.
'Spacebar' or 'Enter' key to open the selected column filter.
Arrow keys key to change the filter options and the 'Tab' quick to navigate between the controls.
'Spacebar' or 'Enter' key to interact with the filter controls.
'Escape' key to close the filter menu.

Layer Filters

The Layer Filters modal can be opened from the layer options menu.

'Tab' key to navigate between the controls.
'Spacebar' or 'Enter' key to interact with the controls.
Arrow keys to select an option from the dropdown menus.

Map controls

'Tab' key to navigate to the desired control.
'Spacebar' or 'Enter' key to interact with the control.

_{*Note that keyboard navigation/interaction might not be available for all functionalities due to technical limitations or administrative configurations.}

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Decisions related with this referral

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