Hunter Environment Lobby Claims Victory as Glencore Withdraws HVO Optimisation Proposal

Hunter Environment Lobby (HEL) is claiming a rare win against mining giant Glencore after the company announced it was withdrawing its HVO Optimisation Project proposal from assessment by the federal environment department. HEL spokesperson Jan Davis expressed satisfaction, stating, "We are delighted that HVO has walked away without a fight, but we know they'll be back. And when they are, we'll be waiting for them."

Despite this withdrawal, Glencore's HVO general manager Dave Foster clarified that the HVO Continuation Project is still moving forward. "The NSW Government has requested more detailed information as part of its assessment of our proposal. We are undertaking additional modelling and mine planning to provide this information. In view of this, we have withdrawn our EPBC application to the Australian Government until we can supply this information and consider any impact on the referrals under the EPBC Act," Foster stated.

In June this year, HEL, represented by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), initiated legal action to overturn a federal decision that allowed the HVO project to progress in the federal environmental approval process. However, before the Federal Court could hear the case, HVO announced the withdrawal of its original application in favor of an amended plan, leading HEL to discontinue its legal action.

The HVO open cut coal mine, jointly operated by Yancoal and Glencore, initially aimed to extend the life of the mine until 2050 and extract an additional 400 million tonnes of coal. HVO is a multi-pit open cut mining complex consisting of two mine sites, HVO North and HVO South, separated by the Hunter River.