Coal Export Facility Approved at Bunbury

Western Australia's Environment Minister Albert Jacob has approved plans to build a $500 million coal export facility at Bunbury Port, GAC reported.

Construction is expected to start in mid-2015, with the first exports planned for 2017. Coal for exports will travel to the port by rail.

The facility will require dredging up to 1.9 million cubic meters at the port and blasting 20,000 cubic meters of rock.

Approval was given with a number of conditions, including a requirement to monitor dolphin populations and not conduct blasting activities during dolphin calving periods from October to May each year.