Hyderabad: The likelihood of power-starved India getting more thermal coal for its power plants improved dramatically, with the Queensland state government clearing plans by two Indian companies to expand the Abbot Point port for coal projects.
The Hyderabad-based GVK Power & Infrastructure and Ahmedabad-headquartered Adani Enterprises announced in separate statements that the new Queensland government had cleared the port expansion project that would support their coal mining activities in the mineral-rich Galilee Basin in the north-eastern Australian state.
The expansion involves dumping 3m cubic metres of soil dredged at Abbot Point port into the sea, about 25 km from the Great Barrier Reef. Environmental groups had opposed the project on the grounds that the dredging would damage the Great Barrier Reef.
“The agreement with the Queensland government on an onshore dredge disposal option ensures our plan of delivering 10,000 jobs and $22bn in taxes and royalties, in line with previously advised timelines,” an Adani Group statement said.
