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Australian gov't approves controversial coal port expansion near Great Barrier Reef

Xinhua, December 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australia's environment minister has on Tuesday approved a controversial dredging project, which would make the Abbot Point coal port one of the largest in the world.

Located near the Great Barrier Reef, the coal port has been given the green light to dredge a further 1.1 million cubic meters of spoil near the reef, however the government has imposed a number of "strict" conditions on the expansion, which faced serious opposition from green groups and the opposition.

Among the conditions listed by Environment Minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday, the port must take control of monitoring the water quality in the area, monitoring ship movements near the reef, and make sure that dredge spoil does not go back into the ocean.

The port is located 400 kilometers from the coal-rich Galilee Basin, but just 19 kilometers from coral in the Great Barrier Reef, and the expansion will pave the way for more coal to be moved to the port including from a proposed 12 billion dollar Adani-owned mine.

Both the federal and Queensland governments were keen to come to an agreement on the port's expansion, with supporters saying the approval will create thousands of jobs and generate millions of dollars for the local and state economies.

But green groups have been quick to slam the approval on Tuesday, with World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Australia spokeswoman Louise Matthiesson telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the reef was no place for a pollution-filled port.

She said a number of endangered animals and coral were now further at risk because of the approved expansion.

"Abbot Point is on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area," Matthiesson said on Tuesday.

"This is a very high conservation area and it's not an appropriate site for dredging or a coal port development."

According to the ABC, the Abbot Point port expansion was proposed because there was the expectation that "millions" of tonnes of coal would be shipped from the port. Endit