There were plenty of reasons for employees and contractors to smile at Hunter Valley Operations (HVO), and it wasn’t just for the face painting and ice cream at the mine site’s Family Day on May 17.
In early May, HVO was granted a short-term 18-month extension of time from the NSW Government to allow for ongoing mining within the currently approved area while they also continue work on their Amendment Report for the HVO Continuation Project.
The mine, a joint venture between Yancoal and Glencore, has been operating HVO South and HVO North, two pits separated by the Hunter River, for more than 70 years.
The continuation project is seeking to extend the life of HVO South and HVO North, to continue mining operations until 2045.
General Manager Dave Foster said the short-term extension is just one step in the process.
“It’s the first hurdle and hopefully a sign of good things to come.
“That Amendment Report is due to requests from the NSW Government for more detailed information as part of its assessment of our HVO Continuation Project. We are undertaking additional modelling and mine planning to provide this information which will be presented in that report.
“Part of the amendment is to wind back operations from 2050 to 2045 in order to significantly cut our emissions,” Dave explained.
Other significant changes include a limit on overall coal production, reduced project mine plan and a material reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
“Our proposal is in full compliance with our emissions reduction obligations under both the Australian Government’s Safeguard Mechanism and the NSW Government’s more Onerous Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Bill 2023,” said Dave.
This is the fifth year of the project approval process. HVO hasn’t been quiet in coming forward about the need for regulatory clarity and consistency between the NSW and Federal Governments to avoid duplication or unintended negative consequences with jobs in the Hunter at stake.
The news certainly made the annual Family Day a cause for celebration with 5,000 employees, contractors and their families heading to site for a fun-filled day.
“This was the second year we’ve run the Family Day. It’s so important for the families of our workers to see what we do every day. We’re limited in how we can thank all of our employees and contractors for what they do,” said Dave.
“Our fun day is one small thing we can do for them, and there’s certainly lots of smiling faces!”
