Coal shifts in South Korea and China could mean big changes for the region

FOR nearly a decade a South Korean Government-owned company has bought up land in the beautiful Bylong valley between Denman and Mudgee to establish a coal mine. KEPCO, which is 51 per cent owned by the government, identified Bylong as the place to mine high quality coal to export to South Korea and keep its coal-fired power stations delivering electricity to the domestic market.

State government forecasts show the threat to the Hunter Valley’s coal industry is yet to be taken seriously. Read the latest from IEEFA here

Almost a third of prime Hunter wine country is covered by coal exploration licences, new mapping shows. Find it here

Australia’s largest export customer for thermal coal is scrapping plans to build power plants. Read more

Communities in the New South Wales Hunter Valley need to apply more pressure to speed-up the process of transitioning from coal to renewables sources of energy. That was message being delivered at a summit held last month in NSW town of Singleton, a week before the announcement of plans to build a new coal-fired power station in the region.

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The winds of change are in the air, and they carry no coal dust.

Read Rob McLaughlin's opinion piece in the Newcastle Herald here

As many countries shift away from coal mining and the industry finds itself under increasing scrutiny, some in the Hunter are worried the region is running out of time to restructure its economy.  Listen here

We're transitioning away from coal, for the better.

Carl Shoupe and his son Scott experienced firsthand the quick and devastating collapse of the mining industry in Kentucky, where during the downturn eight mines closed in one day. Now they're warning the industry in the NSW Hunter region to have a Plan B.

Read the full ABC News article here