Glencore’s Rolleston open cut coal operation in central Queensland has received Government certification on another 766 hectares of rehabilitated mined land.
The Government sign-off means Rolleston now has certification for almost 400ha of its rehabilitation (equivalent to more than 350 football fields), which represents almost 40 per cent of the total amount of mined land that has been rehabilitated at the site.
Rolleston also achieved certification for 220ha of its rehabilitation in 2018, some of which is now being grazed by prized Charbray cattle.
“Before mining commenced at Rolleston, much of the land was used for grazing cattle,” Rolleston Operations Manager Andrew McDonald explained.
“That is the land use we are aiming to achieve post-mining, and it is very rewarding to receive further certification that shows our rehabilitation is delivering successful outcomes.
“Our employees take enormous pride in this aspect of mining; many of them are from rural backgrounds and it is important to them and GIencore that we return the land to a productive and sustainable use after mining is finished.”
Across all Glencore open cut mines, planning for rehabilitation starts almost before first coal is mined.
Rehabilitation is incorporated into daily mine plans and annual plans to ensure that this work is resourced, budgeted and delivered.
These annual plans include targeted areas for disturbance as well as areas for shaping and seeding; forecasts for rehabilitation across the life of mine to avoid large, end-of-mine legacies; and plans to address legacy issues.
Glencore’s Queensland Environment & Community Manager, Pieter Swart, said the company’s strong focus on rehabilitation was driving excellent results.
“The certification at Rolleston follows a similar achievement at our Newlands operation in 2017, and we are confident of seeing rehabilitation at a number of our other Queensland sites achieving certification in the near future,” Mr Swart said.
