The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has varied the Environment Protection Licence (EPL) for the Cadia Gold Mine in central western NSW, including introducing the strongest air quality limits for emissions for any mine in the state.
The new limit for Total Solid Particles of 44 mg/m3 for emissions from each of its four vent risers also means the Cadia Mine will meet requirements under the Clean Air Regulation 2022 to achieve emission reduction requirements well before the November 2030 deadline.
The current Clean Air Regulation limit for Total Solid Particles emissions from Cadia's vent risers is 100 mg/m3.
However, following community feedback submitted as part of the EPA's statutory five-yearly review of the mine's licence in 2024, the substantially lower limit has been included in the licence.
The latest licence variation, made in early August, also responds to recommendations from two independent reviews of air quality and environmental monitoring programs commissioned by the EPA.
The variation introduces a range of measures aimed at strengthening environmental monitoring, including:
- enhanced meteorological and ambient air quality monitoring as recommended by the Jacobs Group in its Air Quality Impact Assessment Independent Review
- improved surface water quality monitoring, as recommended by Hydrobiology Pty Ltd in its Review of Cadia Valley Operations Environmental Monitoring Program Design and Data
This is the second variation the EPA has made to the mine's licence following the statutory review. In December 2024, changes were made to air, surface water and groundwater monitoring requirements, and monitoring for PFAS in groundwater was introduced.
