India's Adani clears another legal hurdle for coal project in Queensland, Australia

Indian coal giant Adani Enterprises Ltd. said construction of its controversial Carmichael coal project in Australia's Queensland state will begin in 2017 after overcoming one of its last legal hurdles.

Australia's Federal Court on Monday dismissed an appeal by the Australian Conservation Foundation arguing that Australian authorities had failed to take into the impact of burning coal and resulting climate pollution's impact on the Great Barrier Reef.

Adani's 16.5 billion U.S. dollars Carmichael coal project in Queensland state's of Galilee basin is the largest in Australia's history but has suffered multiple setbacks from green groups launching court action.

Adani Australia in written statement on Facebook said that it had welcomed the Federal Court, adding that the decision closely follows an Aug. 19 court's dismissal by another group of activist-driven legal challenge designed to delay the project.

Consistent with earlier decisions of Queensland's Land Court and the Federal Court affirming the company's approvals, it has determined that due process has been followed, the statement added.

"A recent report by PwC quantified the cost of these delays as being some 3 billion Australian dollars (2.26 billion U.S. dollars) to the economy and over 1600 jobs annually over the first ten years of the intended projects," it said.

"In local communities, a state and a national economy crying out for growth, this represents a significant cost to the community, not just to Adani."

The company said that it has been consistently pointed out that these projects will supply better quality coal for an increased thermal coal demand, in conjunction with significantly increased solar demand, in a growing Indian economy that will lift hundreds of millions of people out of energy poverty.

"If the better quality, better-regulated coal from Australia is not sourced in Queensland, it will simply mean lower quality, higher emitting coal from elsewhere in the world will be used," Adani said.

"So the activists will not only harm local jobs, but if they get their way (it) would ensure higher emissions as well." Enditem