Press release – 21 July, 2015Brisbane – July 22, Greenpeace has called on the Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to revoke the mining licence for the Carmichael coal mine in Queensland, in the wake of the announcement that the developer, mining company Adani, has stood down two more key contractors."Two major contractors for the Carmichael mine have had their work suspended. This is yet another sign of a doomed project,” said Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Nikola Casule.
“This comes after four engineering firms had their work shut down by Adani in June, 11 international banks have said they won’t fund the project, and Queensland Treasury officials have called the project "unbankable". The risk for potential investors in the Carmichael mine is getting worse and worse.”
Project managers Parsons Brinckerhoff and Korean construction company Posco, which is also touted as an investor in the final project, were told late last week to stop work on the Carmichael mine, rail and port project, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on July 22. Posco is contracted to build the rail line connecting the Carmichael mine to the Abbot Point port as well as Adani’s Terminal Zero port expansion at Abbot Point. In June, Adani suspended preparatory work by WorleyParsons and Aecon, Aurecon and SMEC.
"Greenpeace calls on Greg Hunt to revoke the mining licence for Carmichael immediately and promise that this unsustainable project and other Galilee Basin mines will not be financed via the Northern Australian Infrastructure Fund. Australian taxpayers do not want their money propping up dirty, unviable, uneconomical coal mines," Casule said.
“At 28,000 hectares, the Carmichael mine would be both environmentally disastrous and financially unsustainable.”
“The burning of coal from Carmichael would produce 121 million tonnes of deadly carbon dioxide emissions every year at maximum production. It would be a catastrophe for the climate and for the Great Barrier Reef,” concluded Casule.
Contact:
Nikola Casule, Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner,
Mobile: 0428 769 307