Mod 8 - Ulan West Continued Operations

I am in full support of this project. Ulan West has been an integral part of my working career and my families well being. The work life balance is unmatched, being a local I do not need to travel or spend time away from our young children to work in this industry. There are also many other young families, currently and in the future that will greatly benefit from the extension of Ulan West’s Operations.
The approval of this extension will give myself and others peace of mind that their will be local work to support families and the community, it will also help to keep families in the community where they were raised rather than having to leave to their support network to secure jobs.
Ulan West and the Mudgee community has had a fantastic relationship since operations began in 2012, it would be really beneficial for a diverse range of community members particularly young parents supporting families for its operations to be extended.

I am currently employed at Ulan Coal Mine and fully support the proposed Mod 8 expansion. The project will secure ongoing jobs for local workers, strengthen the regional economy, and make the most of existing mine infrastructure.
Coal mining remains a vital industry for our community, providing reliable employment and contributing significantly to Australia’s energy needs and exports. Ulan has a strong record of safe and responsible operations, and I believe the proposed extension will continue that standard while ensuring long-term stability for local families and businesses.
I strongly support the approval of this modification.

As member of the local community, i completely support this extension. Glencore continue to support local charities and business's.
Also their continued employment of local workers. if this extension is not granted the loss in revenue and income to the local area would be immense.

Please see attached

Wellington Valley Aboriginal Corporation Elders, Knowledge Holders, & Members have been consulted and were involved in the Cultural Heritage Field Assessment, of which we are satisfied that the environmental and heritage assessments have all been completed to reflect the what was identified and impacts if any will be minimal.

I would like to strongly object this project and have concerns if this goes ahead. My concerns are this project wilI impact the Murray–Darling basin, the backbone of Australia's agriculture industry. It will impact 1,734 ha including 191 ha of vegetation clearing and undermine 6.5km of rugged sandstone escarpment. It will also create cumulative impacts on the Talbragar and Goulburn Rivers through groundwater and surface water interception. None of this is good news for our environment and the people that are around it. People in this project are choosing financial profits over what is best for our land and the people!

Doctors 4 Mudgee Region is proud to provide our support for the ongoing operations of the Ulan Coal Complex. The Ulan Coal Complex plays a critical role in sustaining the economic and social fabric of the Mid-Western Region, and its contributions extend far beyond direct employment.

If approved, the Ulan Coal Complex will continue to:
Provide ongoing employment to our regional workforce, ensuring families and local communities have stable, meaningful work.
Support local businesses and suppliers, with annual expenditure of approximately $470 million and engagement with more than 920 suppliers, many of them local.
Contribute taxes, royalties, and other payments that fund essential public services including schools, healthcare, and policing.
Back local charities, not-for-profit organisations, junior sporting clubs, and major community initiatives such as the Doctors 4 Mudgee Region initiative, the Country Universities Centre in Mudgee, and the Mudgee High School LINK Program.

In 2024, Ulan Coal Complex delivered more than $846 million in direct socio-economic value to the region. For our initiative, this support has been instrumental in attracting and retaining GPs, restoring essential healthcare services to communities like Mudgee and Gulgong, and ensuring equitable access to quality medical care in rural NSW.

Doctors 4 Mudgee Region fully endorses the continued operations of Ulan Coal Complex as a vital partner in the social, economic, and health development of the region.

Please stop this short sighted plan to expand this coal mine. Any coal mine! It will increase greenhouse gas emissions, destroy habitats to native flora and fauna and increase the threat to already endangered species. PLEASE STOP THIS!

At a time of acute global warming and climate change, it is completely irresponsible to "modify" ie expand a coal mine and extend its operation 16 years - to 2041.
To call the UlanMod8 expansion, a modification is disingenuous.
Emissions of greenhouse gas will increase greatly.
The precious water catchments of the Hunter and Murray Darling Basin will be compromised - contaminated and depleted. Australia is one of the driest continents on Earth - it is critical that we protect all fresh water sources.
The toxic waste tailings dam near the river will be subject to flooding and seepage into the national park. This is a certainty. For future generations, we must protect all fresh water sources we have.
This expansion involves clearing extensive native vegetation. Australia is guilty of deforestation on an Amazon scale and is not sustainable.
Threatened species such as the Regent Honeyeater and Koala will be impacted. Australia has the largest rate of native mammal species extinction in the world. This is to our enormous shame. We have the data - we know what we are doing!
This proposed coal mine expansion also impacts 71 Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Sites. These are under a Native Title Claim. Given that our Aboriginal People are the oldest continuous living culture in the world, it is time to protect their heritage after generations of exploitation and destruction.
In conclusion, the Ulan Coal expansion - UlanMod8, must not be approved

We are in a climate emergency we need to finish with coal & fossil fuels which are destroying the planet and fasttrack to 100% renewable energy now.
signed
John Philpott.

Submission Ulan Coal Mine Mod 8 – Ulan West Continued Operations

Background

The Glencore Ulan Coal Mine has approval to mine 20 Mt/year thermal coal to August 2035. It is a wholly underground longwall mining operation that disturbs over 120 km² of farmland and bushland with high biodiversity values. Ulan Mine crosses under the Great Dividing Range, so it will now be intercepting water from the Murray-Darling Basin and the Hunter catchment.

The proposed mine expansion should not be assessed as a modification because it falls entirely outside the current mining lease, causing new previously unassessed environmental impacts and therefore differs substantially from the current approved mine.

This ‘modification’ proposal should be assessed as a new project to ensure it receives a full, independent merit assessment.

The project is an extension of the recently approved Ulan Mod 6, which is under legal appeal.

Key points of objection:
1. The proposal will result in the release of over 105 Mt of additional Greenhouse Gas emissions,
2. There is a lack of monitoring and reporting of methane emissions.
3. The proposal is outside the existing mine boundary with additional infrastructure disturbance - should be assessed as a new project.
4. Constructing a large new tailings dam area of 132 ha within a revegetated, rehabilitated old open-cut pit next to the Goulburn River, risking leakage of toxic contaminants
5. Wholly west of the Great Dividing Range within the Murray-Darling Basin - loss of flows to the Talbragar River, a tributary of the Macquarie River feeding into the significant Macquarie Marshes
6. Extended water releases into the Goulburn River will increase the salt load downstream to the Hunter
7. Loss of Aboriginal cultural heritage and spiritual landscape for the Wiradjuri Nation – impacting 71 known sites, including rock art
8. Disturbing an additional 1743 ha within the sandstone escarpment, caves and overhangs:
9. The proposal will destroy additional important habitat for the nationally threatened Large-eared Pied Bat, Eastern Cave Bat, Regent Honeyeater, and Koala, as well as the critically endangered Box Gum Woodland. The 3 mines in the region and the cumulative impact on these species should be properly assessed.
10. Final layout of surface infrastructure not yet determined – mine plan not finalised … so not possible to assess the proposal
11. The project will be undermining 17 private properties and directly impacting 4 houses and 6 private bores, thus increasing social impacts, loss of farm water and ongoing disturbance of the rural way of life
12. This project is not needed to provide regional jobs – there is a massive workforce shortage for renewable energy projects and other industries in the Central West
13. The Mod 8 application aims to mine an additional 43 Mt up to 2041. Ulan Coal Mine falls within the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (CWOREZ). There must be no more expansion of coal mining to maintain a safe climate.

For more information, go to: https://mdeg.org.au/ulan-west-expansion/

I submit that this proposal should be refused and the proponent required to make an application as an entirely new project proposal.

Your Sincerely

Don White
Laguna. NSW. 2325

Provides for Economy & Jobs

I am currently employed at Ulan Coal Mine and fully support the proposed Mod 8 expansion. The project will secure ongoing jobs for local workers, strengthen the regional economy, and make the most of existing mine infrastructure.
Coal mining remains a vital industry for our community, providing reliable employment and contributing significantly to Australia’s energy needs and exports. Ulan has a strong record of safe and responsible operations, and I believe the proposed extension will continue that standard while ensuring long-term stability for local families and businesses.
I strongly support the approval of this modification.

As an Electrical Engineer currently employed at Ulan Coal Mine, I fully support the proposed Mod 8 expansion of Ulan West. This project is essential for securing long-term employment for local workers, strengthening the regional economy, and maximizing the value of existing infrastructure.
Coal mining remains a vital industry for our community, providing stable, reliable jobs and contributing significantly to Australia’s energy supply and export markets. I firmly believe coal will continue to play a key role in meeting Australia’s power generation needs and supporting our national economy through exports.
Ulan has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to safe and responsible operations, and I am confident that this proposed extension will uphold those standards. The Mod 8 expansion will ensure continuity for local families and businesses, and I believe it is essential for maintaining the economic and social stability of our region.
I strongly support the approval of this modification.

I recently joined Ulan Coal Mine as a young Engineer and was surprised on their high-level safety standards and community development programmes. The expansion will provide more continued work opportunities for the current employees as well as apprenticeship opportunities for young high school graduates.
I strongly support the approval of this modification.

The EIS sufficiently manages and mitigates documented impacts and there is low impact to the environment. The economic value to the region and state are enormous and it is in the communities best interest this project is approved.

I am employed at Ulan West Underground and have lived in Mudgee my whole life. Since starting in the mining industry in 2001, I’ve had the opportunity to complete a trade, earn an Advanced Diploma, and build a long-term career in the local area.

I support the proposed Modification 8 because it will help secure ongoing jobs for local people, support businesses in the region, and make good use of the existing mine infrastructure.

The mines in this region have been an enormous support to community growth and development — contributing to local businesses, infrastructure, and community projects such as the upgrade to The Drip, the construction of Mudgee’s first Country University Centre, road improvements, sporting complexes, local events, and more. These contributions have made a real and lasting difference to the community.

Mining has always been an important part of our region, providing stable employment and contributing to both the local and national economy. Ulan has a strong record of safe, responsible operations, and I believe this extension will continue that while supporting the future of families in our area.

I strongly support the approval of this modification.

Expansion of coal mining has been explicitly opposed in the international processes that seek to limit climate change. The established, official published scientific consensus is that burning coal, fed by continued and expanding coal mining is harming all life, including human safety, in the realms of economic security, national security, food security, natural disaster risk, ecological degradation and species extinctions. It is immoral and unethical to extend coal mining under these circumstances.

Supporting continued value adding for the community and surrounding areas.

Key points of objection:
1. Releasing over 105 Mt of additional Greenhouse Gas emissions, poor monitoring and
reporting of methane emissions.
Outside existing mine boundary with additional infrastructure disturbance - should be
assessed as a new project
Constructing a large new tailings dam area of 132 ha within a revegetated, rehabilitated
old open cut pit next to Goulburn River risking leakage of toxic contaminants
Wholly west of Great Dividing Range within the Murray Darling Basin - loss of flows to
Talbragar River, tributary of Macquarie River feeding into significant Macquarie Marshes
Extended water releases into Goulburn River increasing salt load downstream to Hunter
Loss of Aboriginal cultural heritage and spiritual landscape for Wiradjuri Nation –
impacting 71 known sites, including rock art
Disturbing an additional 1743 ha with sandstone escarpment, caves and overhangs:
Destroying additional important habitat for the nationally threatened Large-eared Pied
Bat, Eastern Cave Bat, Regent Honeyeater and Koala, critically endangered Box Gum
Woodland. Cumulative impact on these species across 3 mines in region.
8. 9. Final layout of surface infrastructure not yet determined – mine plan not finalised
Undermining 17 private properties directly impacting 4 houses and 6 private bores
10. Increasing social impacts, loss of farm water and ongoing disturbance of rural way of life
11. This project is not needed to provide regional jobs – there is a huge workforce shortage
for renewable energy projects and other industries in the Central West.