Felton Mine and Dimethyl Ether Pilot Plant Project (withdrawn)
Ambre Energy (Felton) Pty Ltd was the proponent for the Felton Clean Coal Demonstration Project (also called the Felton Mine and Dimethyl Ether Pilot Plant Project), an open-cut mine and dimethyl ether (methoxymethane) pilot plant project. The project was to be located near Felton, approximately 30 km south-west of Toowoomba and 10 km south-east of Pittsworth.
The project was being assessed by a voluntary environmental impact statement (EIS) under Part 1 of Chapter 3 of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 prior to the proponent lodging an application for an Environmental Authority. The terms of reference for the EIS were finalised and issued to the proponent on 4 June 2009.
The proponent advised the department on 15 March 2011 that it had replaced the project. The revised project, called ambreCTL, replaces the Felton Mine and Dimethyl Ether Pilot Plant Project and the company had withdrawn its application for an environmental authority for the Project.
Ambre Energy (Felton) Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ambre Energy Limited and the proponent for a mine and dimethyl ether (methoxymethane) pilot plant project called by the proponent the Felton Clean Coal Demonstration Project. The site is located near Felton, approximately 30km south west of Toowoomba and 10km south east of Pittsworth. The project would be on Lot 1 AG2394, Lot 2 RP54975, Lot 91 RP21324, Lot 94 RP21324, Lot 1 RP 197372, and the Pittsworth Felton Road.
The proponent proposes to operate an open cut mine and a dimethyl ether (DME) pilot plant to produce syngas for the production of 455 tonnes per day of DME and the co-generation of electricity. The project site is located within Exploration Permit (Coal) lease EPC935 on two areas subject to mining lease applications: MLA50245 and MLA50246. A third mining lease is proposed within EPC935 to the south of MLA50246 at sometime in the future. The site is also subject to Exploration Permit (Petroleum) 791.
The mine for this project would be developed in two stages: the initial stage would involve the extraction of 800,000 tonnes a year of coal with the second stage expanding to 3.8 million tonnes a year.
The proponent applied for, and has been granted, approval to prepare a voluntary environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project. The EIS will cover both the initial stage of the mine and the proposed expansion to 3.8 million tonnes a year. It will also cover the DME pilot plant and co-generation of electricity at the site.
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)
The project is a controlled action under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The State's EIS process has been accredited for the assessment under Part 8 of the EPBC Act in accordance with the Bilateral Agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Queensland. The controlling provisions are sections 18 and 18A (Listed threatened species and communities).
Terms of reference
The final terms of reference for the EIS were issued to the proponent on Thursday 4 June 2009.
Documents
- Final terms of reference 415.4 KB) (June 2009)
- Draft terms of reference 471.3 KB) (January 2009)
- Initial advice statement describing the project 1.8 MB) (December 2008)
Further information
For further information about the EIS process for the Felton Mine and Dimethyl Ether Pilot Plant Project, contact the EIS Coordinator on 13QGOV (13 74 68) or email eis@des.qld.gov.au.