| Stakeholders and the broader community may raise questions as the West Field Mine Development Project continues.Here are some examples of the more frequently asked questions to date:
1. Why have you chosen the West Field Project as the preferred mine development option?
The Hazelwood business investigated various ways to mine the coal reserve allocated to us when we bought the business in 1996. As expected, development of our West Field using already established and efficient bucket-wheel excavators and conveyors was the most cost-effective of the alternatives examined.
2. What other options were considered?
IPR – GDF SUEZ investigates all feasible alternatives ahead of any investment decision, and in this case we looked at:
• A range of mine development configurations.
• Different mining equipment.
• Other power station fuel options, such as combined cycle and gas-firing.
As expected, the costs associated with a strategic change of direction could not compete with continuing to operate with established infrastructure.
3. Is West Field coal the same as coal mined in the former SouthEast Field?
Yes. The West Field is a continuation of the existing mine based on the Morwell 1 seam. (The power station was designed specifically for this coal.)
4. What impacts, if any, will the project have on surrounding communities -
Morwell, Yinnar, Churchill and Boolarra?
We don’t anticipate direct major impacts on these communities, but whilst the realignment of Strzelecki Highway and upgrading local roads will be a temporary and minor inconvenience, it will result in a much safer local road system (see 6. below).
5. Are Driffield community facilities affected? What are they?
Yes, these facilities (Public Hall, tennis courts, CFA Depot) are within the mine development project area and we have an obligation to move or replace them. We have completed negotiations with the Latrobe City Council and the CFA, on the most appropriate arrangements for these facilities.
6. Will extension of the mine interfere with local road systems? If so, which roads will be affected?
Yes, the Strzelecki Highway and Brodribb Road run through the West Field and we have no option but to move or close them. VicRoads and Latrobe Council have provided road and traffic safety design guidelines that IPR – GDF SUEZ must meet. We expect that the road deviations may add an extra minute or two to the travelling times for most road users (although some may also find their travel times reduced slightly). Comprehensive traffic studies were conducted and local community meetings held to understand local concerns and to see how we could minimise these inconveniences.
7. Hazelwood Power Station is already a major CO2 gas emitter. Won’t this continuation of the mine just exacerbate the problem?
CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels are a global issue that countries are tackling at a national and state level. IPR – GDF SUEZ Hazelwood signed the Federal Government’s Greenhouse Challenge initiative in 1996 and has invested $400 million in improvements in plant efficiency and other environmental initiatives since then. These have had the effect of reducing CO2 emissions per unit of electricity generated by over 8 per cent from 1996 to 2006.
There are, however, practical limits to the ability of established plant to meet new targets for which it was not designed. Historically, major improvements usually require new technology, and the development of new methods to reduce carbon emissions is a current R&D priority for IPR – GDF SUEZ.
8. How does IPR – GDF SUEZ Hazelwood hope to meet its greenhouse reduction targets if it is just continuing with the same old technology, producing even greater volumes of greenhouse gases?
IPR – GDF SUEZ Hazelwood has agreed to a Greenhouse Gas reduction Deed with the Victorian State Government in return for a revised Mining Licence over our entire West Field coal allocation. This caps CO2 emissions from HPS to 445 Mt over the life of the business. IPRH itself has also signed a legally binding Generator Efficiency Standards Deed and will continue to seek thermal efficiency improvements within the constraints of its installed plant. At the same time, IPR – GDF SUEZ’s new investments in generation will be responding progressively to government policies directed at major improvements in greenhouse performance. Big changes won’t happen overnight, but we do expect a progressive improvement over time across IPR – GDF SUEZ group operations.
If you have an enquiry, please contact IPR – GDF SUEZ Hazelwood at the following email address:
corporateaffairs@ipplc.com.au
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