Explaining Adani: why would a billionaire persist with a mine that will probably lose money?

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (3.6.19) about the latest progress of the Adani Carmichael coal mine project, after additional government approvals were granted recently.

‘By mid-June, if everything goes as expected, Adani Australia will receive the final environmental approvals for its proposed Carmichael coal mine and rail line development.

‘Newspaper reports based on briefings from Adani suggest that, once the approvals are in place, the company could begin digging “within days”.

‘On Friday the Queensland government approved Adani’s plan to protect a rare bird, apparently leaving it with just final regulatory hurdle: approval for its plan to manage groundwater.

‘Its billboards in Brisbane read: “We can start tomorrow if we get the nod today”.

‘But several big obstacles remain. Even after governments are out of the way, it will have to deal with markets and companies that aren’t keen on the project.’

Adani is cleared to start digging its coal mine – six key questions answered

Adrian Werner and Matthew Currall write in The Conversation (14.6.19) about the Adani mine project’s latest government approval, arguing that significant scientific questions remain, such as the impact of the mine on the region’s aquifers.

‘There is now nothing standing between Indian mining giant Adani and the coal buried in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.

‘By approving the Adani’s groundwater management plan on June 13, the Queensland government has given the final green light to the company’s controversial Carmichael coal mine.

‘The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) approved the project’s Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan, which had previously won federal government approval.

‘This plan outlines Adani’s proposed strategies to protect ecosystems that depend on groundwater, such as the Doongmabulla Springs wetland, which some experts have warned could be destroyed by the project. The plan’s approval at a state level removes the final legislative hurdle standing in the mine’s way.’

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