Newmont Mining's (formerly Newcrest Mining's) Cadia Holdings Pty Ltd (Cadia) has been ordered to pay more than $400,000 after being prosecuted by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for three dust emission offences that occurred between November 2021 and May 2023.
The sentence was handed down in the NSW Land and Environment Court on Monday after Cadia pleaded guilty to three breaches of section 128(1) the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, following the poor operation of mine surface exhaust fans led to an exceedance of concentration for solid particles (total) on three separate occasions.
The court ordered fines totalling $350,000 and payment of $61,500 to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water's (DCCEEW) Rural Air Quality Monitoring Network to purchase and install a new DustTrack system located in Mudgee NSW.
Director of Operations Steve Orr said this is an important result for the EPA and the community.
"In May 2023 we began an investigation into Cadia's management of dust emissions in response to the community's concerns about air quality in the region surrounding the mine," Mr Orr said.
"Since commencing these prosecutions, we have required several actions from the company to improve dust emissions, and we are pleased to see that work has been done and emissions have reduced significantly.
"Our ongoing air monitoring program has shown that air quality in the Cadia Valley has been satisfactory, but we will continue to monitor the mine to ensure the company complies with its legal obligations to protect the community and environment."
In addition to the financial penalty, Cadia has been ordered to pay the EPA's costs, as agreed or assessed, and publish notices in the Australian Financial Review, the Daily Telegraph and the Central Western Daily.
The EPA has also been investigating community concerns related to water and soil quality in the region. Reports on water and soil monitoring, as well as our latest air quality monitoring report, can be found on our website The Cadia region | EPA.
In October 2023 the EPA commenced further prosecutions in relation to air pollution from the mine's tailings storage facility. Cadia has plead not guilty to both alleged offences and the matter is next in Court on 9 May 2025.
