Residents to challenge mining

Col Thompson and Arnold Rieck from Rosewood are upset about proposed mining plans.

Rob Williams

INCREASED mining west of Ipswich is a step closer to reality, with mining company OGL announcing the results of its geological testing.

OGL, which announced in May it planned to buy two mining leases near Ipswich, has told the stock exchange how much coal it found.

In a statement this week, OGL said an estimated coal resource of 239.5 million tonnes on leases centred on Ebenezer and Mt Mort.

The company said the Ebenezer coal project (ML 4712) covers 675 hectares and the Bremer View coal project (MDL 172) covers 9202 hectares.

More than 850 drill holes were used to identify coal seams, with most of the coal found within 100m of the surface.

OGL said that meant the coal was “suitable for extraction by a selective mining and open cut operation”.

OGL said it planned to raise funds to buy the mining leases ML 4712 and MDL 172 through a public offer via the issue of a prospectus.

The announcement comes as residents flagged a groundbreaking legal challenge to coal mining expansion in the Rosewood area. A group led by Ebenezer property owner Terri Wright says it has legal advice that could lead to the halting of proposed coal mining on their properties in the upper Bremer Valley between Rosewood and Mount Mort.

MDL 172 covers more than 200 properties in the area and many residents fear open-cut mining there could destroy the area’s rural charm and devalue their homes and farms.

The group said it was formulating a legal challenge and had advice from senior counsel that they had a case.

Residents affected by the mining lease are urged to attend a meeting next Thursday in St Brigid’s Hall, Rosewood at 7pm.