Road to renewal is region's route to resilience
The CEO of the Minerals Council of NSW, Stephen Galilee, doesn't seem keen for the Hunter to diversify its economy and prepare for the opportunities and challenges that will come as the countries we sell coal to switch their economies towards renewable energy. Read Daniel McLaughlin's opinion piece in the Newcastle Herald here
Read moreIEEFA: Time to differentiate – thermal coal delivers royalty crumbs compared to coking coal
Thermal coal used for electricity provides only 13% of royalties to Queensland’s budget compared to coking coal used for steel manufacturing - which provides 87% in royalties, a new IEEFA report finds.
Read moreHunter coal future hangs in the balance
Mining Monthly, 31st May 2019: The New South Wales government has set itself the lofty target of increasing the value of mining production by 30% by 2020 from its $15 billion export figure in 2012-13. This ambitious goal is expected to be driven by the Hunter region, which is the major contributor to NSW coal exports, which is in turn the state's biggest export.
Read morePort of Newcastle chair Roy Green says Hunter can't rely on being protected from history's headwinds
WE didn't need the federal election to remind us of the Hunter's strong connection to coal mining.
Thousands of workers are employed in the industry. Generations of families have made a living from this in-demand resource over more than two centuries.
Coal has been an important ingredient of the region's economic success. Yet the increased recognition of climate change and the shift to cleaner energy sources presents us with a challenge.
Ours may be the highest quality coal in the market, but this will not protect us from the day it is no longer needed.
Renewable energy could be Australia’s next big export industry
Approving a new thermal coal mine is gifting gold to a sector in decline.
While the Queensland government moves reactively to fast-track the approvals process of the decade-long delayed Adani thermal coal mine in the Galilee Basin, thermal coal export forecasts continue to show a terminal decline globally in the long term, consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Tim Buckley from IEEFA explains...
Read moreBHP says thermal coal has no future
In its strategy paper BHP writes that it has "no appetite for growth in energy coal" regardless of asset attractiveness.
So even if it is cheap - the Big Australian doesn't want it.
Wind and solar projects poised to lead Hunter's clean energy transition
TWO renewable energy projects slated for the Upper Hunter are spearheading the region's transition away from coal to a low-carbon economy. Matthew Kelly from the Newastle Herald reports:
A proposed 250 megawatt wind farm at Bowman's creek east of Muswellbrook and a 25 megawatt solar farm on the site of the former Drayton colliery would provide power to more than 100,000 homes when operational.
Hunter needs to prepare for future
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.
Read moreNSW’s transition plan for a declining coal market is still missing
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
Read more
Maps disclose coal exploration on Hunter equine and wine areas
Almost a third of prime Hunter wine country is covered by coal exploration licences, new mapping shows. Find it here
