Bathurst gets final green light for Denniston coking coal mine

Thursday 24th October 2013

Bathurst Resources has finally secured resource consents for its contentious Escarpment coal mine on the West Coast's Denniston Plateau.

The Environment Court today granted consents for the project, ending a projected battle with environmentalists opposing the proposed coal mine, Bathurst said in a statement. The shares rose 1.8 percent to 17.4 cents in trading after the announcement.

"We are pleased to finally secure the consents to develop a mine that will deliver much needed jobs for the West Coast and generate benefits for the economy of New Zealand overall," chief executive Hamish Bohannan said. "The consent procedure has been transparent and thorough and we welcome this final positive decision."

The proposed coal mine has been subject to numerous appeals since its initial approval in 2011, and most of the rulings have been in Bathurst's favour. The mine got tentative approval from the Environment Court in March, which set out an action plan for Bathurst to rehabilitate the area once mining was completed.

Bohannan said the company will now submit its management plans and applications to allow for mining to begin.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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