The remediation of the former BHP land in Kooragang Island has been completed, creating a stunning new environmental and economic asset for Newcastle and the Hunter Region.
Over more than a decade, the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) and its partners have transformed the 65-hectare former industrial landfill site into safe and usable land with enormous potential.
Plans are underway to create a clean energy precinct on the site that would position Newcastle as a leader in producing, storing and exporting clean energy materials such as hydrogen and green ammonia.
The site is also delivering major ecological benefits, including restoring an internationally significant wetland ecosystem that provides an ideal habitat for the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog.
This milestone marks the final stage of HCCDC’s broader remediation project which has covered 217 ha of former BHP lands, including the nearby Mayfield Steelworks site.
Responsibility of the Kooragang Island site has now been handed to Port of Newcastle.
Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe:
“This fragile ecosystem and its threatened wildlife habitats were considered at every stage of the remediation, and the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation went above and beyond to not just protect the environment but improve and safeguard it for the future.
“Protecting the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog is a great example of going the extra mile. The Corporation worked with University of Newcastle to create a protective exclusion fence and a series of refuge ponds to keep the frogs safe around the project perimeter.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“This is a major milestone in the continuing evolution of Newcastle’s modern, diverse and vibrant regional economy.
“Remediating the Kooragang Island site has not only mitigated an environmental hazard, but it has transformed once unusable lands into valuable assets ready to deliver economic revitalisation and community development.
“I can’t overstate the scale of this project; when combined with the Mayfield site, HCCDC has remediated contaminated space the size of 290 football fields.”
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley:
“The Hunter boasts a proud and unparalleled industrial legacy – we’ve powered our state for decades and it’s a tradition the Labor Government is committed to upholding.
“We aren’t going to sit back and watch on as the land goes unused; we’re stepping in to turn it into something that will create good jobs for the community.
“After long and considered discussions, today’s milestone is an important step forward for our region and one I’m excited to be involved in.”
HCCDC Chief Executive Valentina Misevska said:
“Remediating the former BHP lands at Kooragang Island and Mayfield was an enormous undertaking and is testament to HCCDC’s leadership and commitment to sustainable development.
“Finishing work at Kooragang Island marks the final stage of a larger project that we have been involved with for 20 years.
“The team, along with a dedicated group of local and national experts, demonstrated adaptability and innovation throughout the project, such as constructing the world’s deepest underground barrier wall at the Mayfield site to turn these contaminated sites into economic assets.”