Remediation of Newcastle’s former Clyde Street gasworks will commence following several years of planning and investigations, community consultation and preparatory work, and the granting of development consent by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
The Clyde Street gasworks were operated from 1913 to 1985 by the Newcastle Gas and Coke Company, and were acquired by leading energy infrastructure company, Jemena, as part of a larger corporate transaction in 2006.
Project Director, Oliver King, said the remediation of the Clyde Street site is expected to be completed by July 2020, weather dependent.
“Jemena is investing approximately $11 million to complete remediation works at the Clyde Street site. This will involve the installation of a 510m long subterranean barrier wall across the site to redirect groundwater flow around areas of contamination, as well as regrading of the site and placement of a capping layer,” Mr King said.
“We are taking steps to minimise any potential impacts such as noise, traffic and odour during the remediation works, however there may be instances when disturbances increase. We thank the community in advance for their patience and understanding at these times.”
Mr King said the Clyde Street site will be remediated to a standard appropriate for the current site zoning, which is light industrial.
“We’re open to having conversations with any parties who may be interested in the purchase of the site following the remediation works, however at this stage we have not made any decisions about the site’s future use,” Mr King said.
The Clyde Street site includes a heritage listed building which will be protected during the remediation works.
The Clyde Street remediation project is expected to create up to 50 jobs, with opportunities available for local people.
In August 2011, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority declared the site to be ‘Significantly Contaminated Land’ under the NSW Contaminated Land Management Act. Since 2015, Jemena has been working under a Management Order issued by the NSW EPA, which details obligations Jemena has for the remediation and long-term management of the site.
