Xstrata argued 'the imposition of an offset would be a discriminatory attack on Ulan to the benefit of its competitors'. The judge disagreed.
Expansion of Xstrata's Ulan coalmine is caught up in a battle with environmentalists seeking to enforce new rules on emissions, writes Leonie Lamont.
In the chill of winter, the Land and Environment Court judge Nicola Pain passed the vineyards of the picturesque town of Mudgee, through to the village of Ulan, which squats on the doorstep of the Ulan coalmine. It has disgorged millions of tonnes of coal, on and off, since the 1920s.
The day of the pit pony is long gone; strong coal prices and demand have propelled Ulan's coal production plans. Justice Pain was there to see first hand the scope of Xstrata and Mitsubishi Development's existing underground and open-cut joint venture, in light of the approval given by the then Labor minister for planning, Tony Kelly, for Ulan to double production from 10 million tonnes to 20 million tonnes a year, and double its operating life, through to 2031.
SMH
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