Adani Seeks Special Law to Keep Greens Off Oz Project #WTFnews

Chairman Gautam Adani takes up coal project issues with Australian PM

Exasperated with the litany of objections raised by green groups against its $16-billion coal mine, rail and port project in Queensland, Australia, Adani Group has sought an omnibus legislation from its government, which will provide an uncontestable final go-ahead, chairman Gautam Adani said.Lamenting the one-and-half year delay in the project, touted as the biggest coal mining project in Australia which when fully operational can provide electricity to “100 million people for 100 years“, Adani said the lack of clarity has resulted in bankers shying away from lending to the project.

“Such mega projects need certainty. Even we will not jump in to it -we are requesting for clarity,“ Adani said in a media interaction on Friday night.

“The challenge we are facing is that on one side the government has given us the approval, and on the other, the greens are approaching the courts for judicial review. This is holding things up,“ Adani explained.

What Adani wants is that lawmakers approach parliament and pass a special resolution so that “no one can challenge it“.“You cannot continuously challenge the project,“ he said. The Indian conglomerate with interests spanning from ports to commodities has been battling green groups since starting work on the project about five years ago. According to Reuters, in August, an Australian court had temporarily blocked progress on the mine, citing that Adani group had failed to consider the welfare of the Yakka Skink, an ornamental snake.

Adani admitted that the project ­ which was slated to produce 40 million tonnes by 2017 ­ is delayed by one and half years. “Even though there’s no stay on the project because of the judicial review, no lenders will be willing to finance it,“ he said. “Because they (lenders) do not know what will be the outcome,“ he explained.

Adani revealed that he met Malcolm Turnbull, Australian prime minister, on Thursday, to seek the intervention of law makers for a comprehensive legislation by giving a final approval to the project.

The project faced legal hurdles from conservation groups even as its supporters have claimed that it has met over 30 of the stiffest conditions laid down by the government.

The project proposes to construct six open cut pits and five underground mines ranging over 200 square kms in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland.“We explained our concerns,“ Adani said, about the meeting with the PM. “We explained the importance of the project for both India and Australia. It is the world’s largest coal reserve. It will support at least 100 million people to get electricity for 100 years,“ he said.