Environmental protection, Australia canceled a billion-dollar bauxite project

Despite the cancellation of a billion-dollar giant bauxite mining project, the state government of Queenland, Australia has decided to bring the Wenlock River basin where the project is to be put into ecological conservation.

The Miningweekly newspaper said that in early June, the Queenland state government announced it would take the Wenlock River basin on the Cape York Peninsula into a protected area under the Law on Protection of Natural Rivers. Accordingly, the entire area with a radius of 500 m from the Wenlock River basin will become an ecological conservation area under the management of the government.


Shortly after the announcement, June 4, leader of mining company Cape Alumina said that the state's decision would directly affect the bauxite mining project of more than 1 billion. USD is being implemented in the above area.

The bauxite mining project, Cape Alumina's Pisolite Hills, has invested more than 1 billion Australian dollars (AUD, about 980 million USD) which has been implemented for over a year ago. Under the original plan, Cape Alumina will begin construction of the plant in 2012 here. To date, the company has spent 22 million AUD for preparatory work, which includes surveying the environmental impact of the project.

Through calculations, the company claims, the state's decision to put the Wenlock River Basin within a 500-meter radius into natural conservation would result in a 45% reduction in bauxite production.

Since then, Cape Alumina has asked the state government to reduce the diameter of the conservation area to 200 m to ensure the feasibility of the project. At the same time, their independent experts said that a 200-meter radius is still consistent with the environmental impact standards.

However, last October 18, the head of the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Stephen Robertson, said the state government rejected the proposal to reduce Cape Alumina's reserve radius. ' I personally visited the Wenlock River and realized that the environment there needed to be strictly protected '.

On the same day, the leader of Cape Alumina Company announced the cancellation of the bauxite mining project here. Cape Alumina also said that the state's decision made Queensland lose 1.2 billion AUD worth from new economic activities and thousands of jobs for the people of this region.

In response, Mr. Robertson said: 'The fact that the mining industry is not beneficial to indigenous communities. Companies come to promise everything, but eventually they leave with a lot of money after destroying the environment . '

Although the state government's decision will face complaints and claims from Cape Alumina, however, the Queenlands leaders claim it is a perfectly right decision.

Mr. Robertson asserted that the Law on Protection of Natural Rivers was established to protect the original natural landscapes of the state. ' This is a law that balances the protection of natural heritage for the future and sustainable development .'

Meanwhile, Premier Queenlands, Anna Bligh said, she has no regrets because Cape Alumina's huge project must be canceled. According to her, this is a great victory for the environment and future generations.