Adani's Carmichael coal project gets Australia nod

The Australian government on Monday approved Adani Mining Pty Ltd's controversial A$16.5 billion ($15.5 billion) Carmichael coal and rail project in Queensland, subject to strict conditions to protect groundwater.

The Carmichael mine, which could become Australia's largest coal mine at 60 million tonnes a year, has sparked protests from green groups and marine tour operators worried about carbon pollution and export of the coal from a port near the Great Barrier Reef.

Greenpeace said the conditions imposed on the project would do little to protect the environment from the bigger impact of shipping through the World Heritage-listed reef and burning the huge amounts of coal the mine will produce.

“A massive coal mine that will damage the Great Barrier Reef and do damage to the local environment and fuel climate change is not protecting the environment,” said Ben Pearson, Australia Pacific programme director for Greenpeace.

The Carmichael coal lode is in the outback Galilee Basin, where massive reserves of coal remain untapped due to the hefty costs of building ports and rail lines to the east coast nearly 500 km away.

Hurdles to Galilee Basin projects have increased as coal prices have sunk to near five-year lows and as global pressure to cut coal to curb carbon emissions has stoked uncertainty over long-term demand, making it tough to raise funds.