Planning for the Future of Oaky Creek Coal

In the last Local Voices Pulse Survey, nearly half (46%) of the community revealed that they were not that aware of Oaky Creek Coal’s Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan (PRCP).

Encouragingly, over two thirds (69%) said you were interested in receiving more information about the PRCP. So, Tieri News spoke to Joel May, Environment & Community Manager at Oaky Creek to get the lowdown. 

Joel, what exactly is a PRCP?

It’s a plan that explains how Glencore intends to rehabilitate the land occupied by the Oaky Creek Coal mine and return it to a stable condition once the mine has closed.

What do you mean by a ‘stable’ condition?

A ‘stable condition’ means the rehabilitated land is safe, structurally stable, non-polluting and sustainable for a post-mining land use, which, for Oaky Creek, is usually for grazing and/or native open woodland.

Why does Glencore need a PRCP?

It’s a legal – and I believe, environmental, ethical and societal – requirement for any mining organisation in Queensland to rehabilitate the land on which it operates and restore it to a suitable post-mining land use. It builds upon Glencore’s own life of mine and closure planning processes and is in accordance with our values including Responsibility and Integrity.

What does the PRCP include?

It includes details of what activities Glencore will carry out – as well as where, when and how – in order to successfully rehabilitate the land.

It also includes feedback from our consultation with relevant members of the community (e.g. local landholders, Government, Traditional Owners, etc.), results from our technical studies and our proposed suggestions for post-mining land uses, including analysis and justification and details of the rehabilitation methods and techniques we suggest to achieve this.

Who approves the PRCP?

We have to submit the plan and schedule to the Department of Environment and Science (DES) for regulatory approval.

Once approved, it becomes a statutory document that includes time-based milestones Oaky Creek must comply with for the successful completion of rehabilitation.

Has rehabilitation of the land already begun?

Yes, absolutely! Land rehabilitation is a core part of our business and an ongoing operation at Oaky Creek. We spend approximately $10 million on average each year on rehabilitation activities. In fact, so far, we’ve successfully rehabilitated nearly 4,700 hectares of land – that’s equivalent to nearly triple the size of Tieri township, something we’re immensely proud of!

What was the land used for prior to the Oaky Creek mine and what has the land been rehabilitated to?

Prior to mining, the lands were traditionally used for hunter/gathering by the ancestors of the Western Kangoulu People and Barada Kalbalbara Yetimarla People. More recently the lands were used by graziers for beef cattle raising.

When is the mine due to close and what will happen to the land afterwards?

The life of mine is currently 2029. 

As part of the PRCP we’ve held consultation sessions with local landholders, council and State Government, and other relevant members of the local community, including landholders, Traditional Owners and the Tieri Community Reference Group, regarding the closure of the mine and potential post-mining land use (PMLU).

Based on these community consultations and the findings from our technical studies, the initial PMLU proposals that we are making to the DES include grazing land, open woodland and wetland areas.

The DES will review our PRCP and either approve our proposed ideas, or suggest alternatives.

Whatever the final classification, Glencore has a responsibility to rehabilitate the land impacted by our mining activities using leading-practice environmental management in order to achieve the post mine land aims, while minimising risks to the environment.

When is the PRCP due to be submitted?

November of this year.

When do you expect to hear back from the DES?

Following submission of the PRCP there is an Information Request (IR) stage where the DES provides a list of further information required and questions to respond to. Other sites have experienced this IR stage within months of submitting their PRCP.

How will you keep the community informed on the status of the PRCP and anything relating to the closure of the mine?

We have already published articles in previous editions of Tieri News and on www.tieri.com and we’ll continue to do so as things progress.

We also present updates at the quarterly Tieri Community Reference Group (CRG) meetings. I strongly encourage the community to join the Tieri CRG as it’s a fantastic way to learn what’s happening in our community and make sure your voice is heard. Meetings are held at Tieri Library and the proposed meeting dates for the remainder of 2023 are:

• 22 June 2023, 4.00pm
• 7 September 2023, 4.00pm
• 16 November 2023, 4.00pm

To join the Tieri CRG, simply contact the Central Highlands Regional Council.

Making sure our community is kept informed is really important to us. In the next Local Voices Pulse Survey, we’ll be asking how you want to receive information relating to OCC and Tieri, so keep an eye out for the launch of the survey later this year and be sure to have your say. We’ll use your feedback to make sure we’re communicating the latest news and updates on the PRCP, life of mine and all other relevant topics in the most effective way for you.

The public register of all PRCPs from all permit holders is available at the DES website.