2.3.4.3 Gaps

The CRDP for the Namoi subregion was confirmed and ‘locked in’ for this BA as of December 2015, therefore any significant project-related changes since then have not been reflected in the CRDP presented in this product.

As many of the most advanced mining proposals in the Namoi subregion may still be undertaking pre-mine planning and optimisation studies, mine scheduling and production rates provided in this product are estimates only. Even mines past the EIS approvals stage may require further environmental and mining-related authorisations, so the estimated commencement dates reported may vary from actual start-up time.

Other current knowledge gaps relating to mining operations include the likelihood that actual mine production rates will vary over the life of operations due to various factors, including changes in mine sequencing rates and schedules, variability in ground conditions encountered during mining, or other unforeseen events such as those caused by inclement weather or natural hazards. Mine lifetimes will depend on a number of factors not immediately known before mining commences, including fluctuations in commodity markets.

Water management strategies need to be finalised and conditions need to be set as part of the approvals process for each additional coal resource development. Thus, there may be variations in water management plans from what is reported in this product and in companion product 2.1-2.2 for the Namoi subregion (Aryal et al., 2018a).