NSW Approves Huge Coal Expansion
NSW Approves Massive Hunter Valley Coal Mine Expansion Until 2045
Anonymous
New South Wales’ Independent Planning Commission approved a 19-year extension of the Hunter Valley Operations coal mine, allowing Yancoal and Glencore to extract about 429 million tonnes of coal and continue operating until 2045. The state government and mine operators say the project will support about 1,500 jobs and deliver substantial economic benefits. The commission acknowledged that emissions from mining and burning the coal would contribute to climate change, but weighed those impacts against economic and social benefits and said conditions would mitigate them. Environmental groups condemned the decision, warning that the project’s emissions would worsen climate risks and undermine the state’s climate goals.
Key Points
1
The commission’s approval followed a six-year assessment process that attracted more than 10,000 submissions. The project was described as the largest coal-mine expansion ever proposed in NSW.
2
The project’s estimated emissions include 15.1 million tonnes released directly at the mine and 793.8 million tonnes from burning the coal; the commission put the total at 809 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
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The coal includes both thermal coal and coking coal, the latter used in steelmaking, and is intended for export.
4
Climate Council councillor Greg Mullins cited a National Climate Risk Assessment and warned that more than 12,000 homes in the Hunter are already at high risk of becoming uninsurable.
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