THE mining company searching for coal in Bacchus Marsh has called for calm among worried residents, saying the better-than-expected results announced on Monday don’t mean a mine will be built, and any application to develop a mine would be more than five years away.
In a statement to the stock exchange, Mantle Mining announced that preliminary results of the coal properties had exceeded expectations.
But Mantle’s exploration manager, Callum Lamont told the Moorabool Weekly that samples from the first two bore holes alone could not indicate if the coal met the company’s needs.
‘‘We need to complete all 15 bore holes to be in a position to report on the resource to the standard required,’’ he said. ‘‘Anything before that is speculation.’’
The company has drilled four holes around Parwan, Rowsley and Maddingley as part of a 15-hole exploration program.
The total cumulative coal thickness of 146 metres found in the first two holes was a 25 per cent jump on the 116 metres initially expected.
Mr Lamont said geologists were testing the coal for moisture, sulphur, chlorine and burnability to determine if it was suitable for its intended coal-drying technique.
But Mantle may still scrap its plans in the region if the coal is found to be unsuitable, he said.
Mantle Mining is in the early stages of exploration in the area and eventually plans to begin an open-cut mine to export the coal to India.
Last night, environmental lawyer Nick Croggan met with up to 150 worried Bacchus Marsh residents to help them thwart plans to start open-cut coal mining in the area.
Mr Croggan, a solicitor at the Environment Defenders Office, explained the fine print about exploration leases and how residents can object if Mantle applies for a mining licence.
While the Mining Act does not specify grounds on which people can object, Mr Croggan said concerns often related to effects on the environment and farmland.
‘‘There are serious planning issues about mining where land would be better used for agricultural purposes, and landowners can seek that their land be exempt.
‘‘Many of the good areas for mining line up with the food-bowl areas and some of the prime farming land in the state.’’
But Mr Lamont said the escalating community campaign against its drilling program was ‘‘premature’’.
Drawing up a mining plan or applying for a licence would be more than five years away, he said.
‘‘We’re only looking to see what sort of coal is there and once we find out we'll report to the community and expect to go into discussions about how to go forward,’’ he said.
‘‘Even at the end of the 15 bore holes, we're still at an ‘inferred resource status’, which simply suggests the resource might be there, and no one will take notice of that in terms of financing or planning a coal mine.’’
He said it would take at least three years for Mantle to reach the next stage.
Environment Victoria safe climate co-ordinator Victoria McKenzie-McHarg said Mantle’s exploration lease was typical of exploration and mining projects across the state that ‘‘slip under the radar’’ every year, and community concern was justified.
‘‘Nobody goes around spending millions of dollars drilling holes in the ground for fun. They’ve got an expectation that if they find something, mining permits will follow,’’ she said.
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