Solid Energy Just Short of Achieving Environmental Target

Coal producer Solid Energy New Zealand Ltd came close to meeting its objective of obtaining a positive net environmental effect, the company says in its Environmental Report for the year ending 30 June 2005.

This is the second annual report since 2003 when it began measuring cumulative environmental effects, ranging from impacts on plant and animal habitat to noise, dust and control of weeds and pest – relative to a “neutral baseline” (i.e. if Solid Energy had not carried out any operations).

In 2005, the company came within 2% of meeting its objective of having a positive net effect, despite an 8% increase in its affected land area. This was largely the result of significant environmental improvements on a number of sites.

The report says Solid Energy achieved 98.3% compliance with resource consents and other relevant statues and regulatory conditions, a 23% increase on 2004, with no major environmental incidents.

Among other significant achievements were: improved water management practices across all operations, with a $20 million programme in place to improve the quality of water discharging into the Ngakawau River in the Buller; and planting of approximately 100,000 seedlings across all sites as part of rehabilitation works.

Chief executive officer, Don Elder, says: “We continue to be challenged on environmental issues at many of our sites, but we stand by the commitment we made in 2003 to reduce the net effect of all our activities going forward and to measure and report our performance regularly, consistently, openly and honestly.

“At all levels, we are working closely and constructively with many of our stakeholders. Some are long-time critics of our environmental performance who remain, at the least sceptical. We ask them to judge us by what we do and achieve and to their credit they have offered us a temporary level of trust. We are working to meet their expectations and to repay that trust."

Dr Elder says, “There are others who oppose coal mining no matter how it is carried out. We accept their right to this view, but not when they engage in illegal or inappropriate action as has happened at some of our sites this year.”

“While we did not achieve our overall environmental objective for the year, we will be working hard to build on our achievements and turn around this result in 2006. We remain committed to open and transparent environmental reporting.”