A resource development business in New South Wales has received Council approval to operate five, short-term quarries to supply materials for the construction of a 66-turbine wind farm.
Australian Resource Development Group (ARDG) has developed the proposal for over two years and has received approval from Hilltops Council and Yass Valley Council for the five quarries.
The quarries will support the Rye Park Wind Farm project (RPWF) to create renewable energy and will assist the Wind Farm to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 3800 tonnes of carbon dioxide or equivalents.
The five sites were selected for their proximity to the Wind Farm and will reduce the need for trucks to haul material from hundreds of kilometres away.
ARDG director for planning and development Dr Justin Meleo explained the lead-up to this final approval stage.
“Based on our experience with other similar projects, we identified an opportunity to source construction materials from greenfield sites within and close to the Rye Park Wind Farm project,” Dr Meleo told Quarry.
“On and near-site quarries have the potential to deliver a range of benefits to the project and surrounding local community.”
The approval of the Rye Park quarries project by Hilltops Council and Yass Valley Council will allow for a 60 to 99 per cent reduction in truck movements across the local and regional road network.
If all quarry materials for the project were sourced from the quarries, two-way truck movements through the town of Boorowa, for example, would be reduced from 42,992 down to 468.
However, the development hasn’t come without challenges, Dr Meleo said.
“Given the range of constraints and uncertainties – geological, planning, environmental, operational, for example – the process to locate five sites within close proximity to the RPWF project was very difficult, time-consuming and risky,” he said.
“The business environment we operate in is rather unique, in that ARDG undertakes exhaustive feasibility investigations using our in-house expertise, time and resources with no security – in other words, it’s a big risk.”
Dr Meleo said it would be all worth it though once the quarries commence operations later this year and the Rye Park Wind Farm Project commences construction.
“ARDG is pleased to be able to support the renewable energy sector by utilising our in-house extractive industries expertise to reduce the project’s construction footprint, and it’s carbon footprint,” he said.
