On Thursday, Adani Enterprises obtained the green signal to start construction of a controversial coal mine in outback Australia after a state government approved a final permit on groundwater management.
The Carmichael mine has been a lightning rod for climate change concerns in Australia and was seen as a factor in the surprise return to power of the conservative Liberal/National coalition in a national election in May.
First acquired by Adani in 2010, the project is slated to produce 8-10 million tonnes of thermal coal a year and cost up to $1.5 billion, but has been mired in court battles and opposition from green groups.
“We’re ready to start work on the Carmichael Project and deliver the jobs these regions so badly need,” Chief Executive Lucas Dow said in a statement.
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The go-ahead comes after Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science said it had approved Adani’s Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan following a rigorous assessment “based on the best available science.”