A MINING company has sought to renew a licence to search for coal beds in a 76,000-hectare area spanning most of Wyndham.
The licence expired yesterday after being held for 12 years by Western Victoria Energy, a subsidiary of Melbourne-based Regal Resources.
On Monday, Regal submitted an application to the Department of Primary Industries to have the exploration licence rolled over.
Anti-coal activists and Wyndham residents have slammed the move, claiming it proves the company is serious about long-term mining plans.
DPI spokesman Alex White said the miner had so far used the permit to carry out exploratory drilling for presence of brown coal.
It had since undertaken a number of research projects within the licence area, including setting up a trial plant for an underground coal-to-liquids process, and investigating technology to convert coal to methane.
The DPI will conduct a review of the company’s activities and refer the application to Resources Minister Michael O’Brien before making a decision.
The licence covers farmland and residential areas including Altona, Altona Meadows, Werribee South, Williams Landing, Tarneit and Truganina. It also stretches through the Werribee South irrigation district and Point Cook’s protected wetlands.
The company is not permitted to extract anything greater than small samples without applying for a full mining licence, according to the DPI.
Western Region Environment Centre director Harry van Moorst, who has hosted a series of information nights about the coal licence since February, said the group would submit detailed objections to the state government. A public meeting is pencilled in for next Friday, September 14 at Crossroads church hall in Werribee.
Mr van Moorst said the miner’s bid to renew the licence showed it was serious about tapping into coal beds in the west.
“They’ve spent millions of dollars, they’ve got a pilot plant up and running, they’re serious and so we’re taking it seriously as well. This doesn’t fit with council’s plans or the community’s vision for this region, but neither we nor council have any third-party rights in this renewal process.”
Regal Resources director Rohan Gillespie did not return calls.
