Under pressure from farmers and environmentalists opposed to mining on key agricultural land, a spokesman for the Australian state of New South Wales said Wednesday that it intends to buy out half of the coal exploration license from China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd.
The government of Australia's most populous state has said it has agreed to pay $ 200 million to buy 51.4 percent of the Shenhua exploration license in the Liverpool Plains, 400 kilometers northwest of Sydney.
"There will be no more exploration and production on these fertile black soil of the Liverpool Plain," Don Harvin, NRU resource minister, told reporters in Sydney.
Anti-mining activists have pledged to continue campaigning for a complete ban on mining in the region, including the Korea Electric Power Corp (Kepco) coal mine.
“This buyout has little impact on the impact of a large coal mine that (Shenhua) will still be built to mine coal,” said Phil Laird, national coordinator for the Lock the Gate Alliance environmental group. "We will continue to campaign to stop all mining operations."
A US $ 1 billion exploration license for the Shenhua mine, granted in 2008, caused a public outcry and divided Australia's conservative ruling coalition into pro-mining and pro-power camps.
The postponement of development has been delayed in response to concerns raised by farmers, so mining activities have not yet begun.
Australia to buy out coal mining license from China's Shenhua
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Azovpromstal® 13 July 2017 г. 11:06 |
