Lithgow official demands action over jobs uncertainty

LITHGOW, Central West, NSW, Australia - Lithgow Deputy Mayor Wayne McAndrew has launched a blistering attack on the state government over delays in finding a solution to the potential shutting down of the Springvale coal mine. The mine is the sole provider to the Mt Piper Power Station (pictured) which generates 15% of the electricity supply for NSW. The continuing operation of the Springvale mine is now in doubt after the overturning of the 2015 planning approval which allowed the mine to continue operating and supplying coal to Mt Piper” he said.

"The NSW Government has the ability to fix this and has done absolutely nothing” McAndrew said Wednesday.

“To make matters worse, the appeal lodged by the green group 4Nature and supported by the taxpayer funded Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) was based on the Springvale mine's impact on drinking water proximate to the Sydney catchment, but Centennial Coal, the owner of the Springvale mine has already commenced early works on a $100 million joint venture with Energy Australia to construct a water treatment plant that would have eliminated any alleged problem with water quality issues “ he said.

“The construction of the $100 million water treatment plan is now in jeopardy, there will be no need for it if the mine is forced to cease production and close,” the deputy mayor said.

“The NSW Government has let 4Nature and the EDO use a flawed State planning process that we are being warned will very soon cost jobs in NSW Industry and the regions as well as our local Lithgow community,” he added.

“We are facing the real prospect of the loss of over 600 permanent local jobs and the flow on effect of that on our community if Springvale is unable to continue operating.”

The Lithgow City Council has sought an urgent meeting with the New South Wales premier following crisis talks with the Springvale mine's owners Centennial Coal, earlier in the week.

Lithgow Mayor Stephen Lesslie whonwas at that meeting said Premier Gladys Berejiklian needsto intervene and pass legislation allowing the mine to remain open.

"We want to bypass all the local representatives," he told the ABC on Wednesday. "They're not helping us, they're not working with us."

"The federal member Andrew Gee is just making sleepy comments in the local press and the state member Paul Toole is just no response at all."