Alcoa has “encouraging” plans for rehabilitating its Anglesea coal mine and power station site, according to Victoria’s peak environmental group.
A “key document” secured with Freedom of Information laws showed the company “seems to be taking their closure responsibilities seriously”, said Environment Victoria’s Nicholas Aberle.
Alcoa has slated a $55 million clean-up of the site after operations cease at the end of the month, costing over 80 jobs.
The facility previously supplied electricity to Alcoa’s aluminium processing plant at Pt Henry but became redundant after the company stopped manufacturing in Geelong. Alcoa was then unable to find a buyer for the power station.
Anglesea residents have expressed concerns about the future of the site, including fears it could become a coal seam fire risk. Alcoa has posted on its website details of the rehabilitation project.
Mr Aberle said the documents released under FoI demonstrated “the importance of successfully restoring the Anglesea site”.
“Alcoa seems to be taking their closure responsibilities seriously, which is encouraging, and there are details in their work plan that seem to be largely absent from corresponding documents for the Latrobe Valley mines.”
Mr Aberle said transparency of the rehabilitation works was essential given public consultation about the future of the site was about to begin.
“Alcoa has recognised that they need to have criteria to determine the success of their rehabilitation and closure activities but the current work plan has not established what these criteria are. A key part of the community consultation should be asking residents what their criteria for success are.
“Without clear criteria for success on mine rehabilitation and site closure there is no accountability.”
