News
Power giant EnergyAustralia urges battery focus in federal plan
September 24, 2020
One of the nation's largest power suppliers, EnergyAustralia, says subsidising battery installations would be the best way for the federal government to invest in the future of the power market while lifting the economy out of COVID-19.
Read MoreCoal’s last refuge crumbles with China’s renewables plan
September 23, 2020
China's plan to derive 20 per cent of its primary energy from non-fossil fuels may be brought forward by five years from 2030. Coal-fired power has been dying everywhere except where it poses the greatest threat.
Read MorePandemic pushes Yancoal into red
September 22, 2020
Yancoal has slashed its capital spend to ride out a fall in coal prices triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic that helped push it into the red.Read the full article in the AFR 22nd Sept 2020
Read More'Managed decline': Market Forces appeals for Whitehaven coal exit
September 22, 2020
A green group will next month ask Whitehaven Coal investors to force the company to plan to wind up their coal business. Market Forces Campaigner Will van de Pol said the coal company had a business model "reliant on the failure of the Paris...
Read MoreUnion boss and environmentalist bury the hatchet in the Hunter
September 21, 2020
In the bruised days after Labor’s shock national election defeat last May, union boss Steve Murphy, a Maitland boy, thought long and hard about what went wrong – and came to a very different conclusion than the Hunter Valley’s most prominent ALP figure, Joel...
Read MoreLast hopes for demand growth set to disappoint thermal coal exporters
September 21, 2020
Asian thermal coal exporters are fighting an uphill battle even in new markets. The world’s largest thermal coal exporter is eyeing new markets as its largest export destinations threaten to cut imports.
Read MoreMike Cannon-Brookes says he might bid to replace Liddell plant if PM 'declared the rules of the game'
September 16, 2020
Atlassian co-founder says it is ‘bullshit’ that giant fossil fuel companies need subsidies to extract gas and export it
Read MoreCycle surfing miners lose their religion
September 14, 2020
If there is a religion in the mining industry, it is the unshakeable faith in the cyclical nature of commodity prices. But recent evidence suggests very few resources companies are willing to make the bold, countercyclical investments that the industry prides itself on.
Read MoreRenewables could power coal-fired stations
September 08, 2020
Coal-fired power stations could be converted to entirely fossil-fuel-free generators thanks to a solution developed by Australian engineers. The University of Newcastle has patented new thermal storage material housed in stackable blocks like Lego.
Read MoreDawn of 'green steel' and the revival of Australian manufacturing
September 07, 2020
NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean has declared hydrogen the "breakthrough that changes the world", comparing its impact on climate change to what a vaccine will do to COVID-19.
Read MoreIEEFA: Grid scale battery costs have reached a tipping point
September 04, 2020
More battery storage equals less gas. Batteries are usurping the role of gas in the power system. Grid scale battery usage is increasing rapidly, and battery cost deflation is faster than wind or solar.
Read MoreGladys Berejiklian says reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is achievable and would be 'the stuff of dreams'
September 03, 2020
The New South Wales’ Liberal premier, Gladys Berejiklian, says it will not take much to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and it would be “the stuff of dreams” for an Australian Coalition government to legislate that target.
Read MoreWhitehaven Coal FY profit down 95 per cent
August 27, 2020
Whitehaven Coal has had a 95 per cent fall in full-year profit due to lower coal prices but management is adamant there is strong demand for its supplies in Asia.
Read MoreBHP moves ahead with coal exit plan
August 25, 2020
Resources giant BHP is understood to have hired UBS to work on the $7bn sale or demerger of its coal mines.
Read MoreJapan is closing its old, dirty power plants – and that’s bad news for Australia’s coal exports
August 24, 2020
Last month, the Japanese government announced a plan to retire its fleet of old, inefficient coal-fired generation by 2030. And what happens to coal power in Japan matters a lot to Australia.
Read MoreAGL forges ahead of Morrison government on Liddell coal plant shutdown
August 21, 2020
Australia's largest energy generator, AGL, has announced the first concrete steps in shutting down its Liddell coal-fired power station in the NSW Hunter Valley, pre-empting the findings of a government taskforce examining options including extending the plant's operating life.
Read MoreCall to diversify economy and depend less on mining
August 20, 2020
A NEW economic report has found regional communities are in need of support to diversify their economy so they are less dependent on mining and more resilient to "external shocks".
Read MoreA New Approach to Energy Politics
August 19, 2020
We’ve seen it time and time again, politicians smiling with workers in Hi Viz every time they want to add a spice of authenticity to their campaign.
Read MorePeabody Energy has announced it will scale back underground mining at their Wambo mine complex near Warkworth
August 18, 2020
Peabody Energy has announced it will scale back it's underground mining at their Wambo mine complex near Warkworth
Read MoreAGL plans to build grid-scale battery at Liddell Power Station site
August 17, 2020
Energy giant AGL plans to build a grid-scale battery at Liddell Power Station in Muswellbrook. The company has lodged a scoping report with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) for a grid-scale battery system to be located on the site, alongside...
Read MoreIEEFA Report: BHP coal assets worth a billion less than just two years ago
August 10, 2020
Another global investor, the UK’s biggest public pension fund NEST, has withdrawn funds from BHP this week because the company is profiting “from digging coal”.
Read MoreCoal company succeeds in JobKeeper application as coal industry starts to buckle under price and volume downturns
August 04, 2020
COAL miners at the Bloomfield open-cut mine near Maitland have had their wages supplemented by the COVID-19 subsidy JobKeeper, mine owner Bloomfield Group has confirmed.
Read MoreUnisuper dumps coal assets as sector turns its back on fossil fuels
August 04, 2020
Two ASX-listed coal miners have been cut off the books of major superannuation fund Unisuper in another sign of the sector turning its back on the fossil fuels industry.
Read MoreGlencore to cut Australian coal production
August 03, 2020
Glencore is working on plans to slash output from Australian coal mines in response to weak prices, in a move that will reinforce the Swiss miner's reputation as the most active manager of supply and demand in global commodity markets.
Read MoreGovernments must prepare communities for inevitable coal phase out, experts warn
July 29, 2020
Governments must proactively prepare workers and communities as part of a ‘just transition’ in response to an inevitable phase out of coal mines and power stations, leading energy and climate policy experts have warned.
Read MoreNew study offers roadmap for coal phase-out
July 28, 2020
Coal will need to be phased out of the world's economy to meet the climate change challenge, but this can work properly only if social objectives and local stakeholders are involved in the process, an international group of researchers argue in a paper published...
Read MoreWhy world's coal regions hold the key to renewable future
July 28, 2020
Australian and European coalmining regions have a lot in common, long histories, resilience and sense of identity. By utilising these strengths, communities in coalmining areas can not only survive, but thrive in the renewable energy and zero carbon industry revolution that is already well...
Read MoreInvestors Dump Coal: In conversation with Tim Buckley and Bob Carr
July 17, 2020
A striking development has occurred in the world of corporate finance. The past few months have seen a string of corporations divest from thermal coal...
Read MoreHunter Valley ponders a future of dwindling coal
July 13, 2020
Hunter Valley councils and unions are preparing for a future without coal but say curbs on the Port of Newcastle imposed after the privatisation of ports near Sydney and Wollongong will hold back the transition.
Read MoreTop super fund dumps coal miners as emissions cuts intensify
July 09, 2020
Australia's second-largest superannuation fund is preparing to dump its shares in companies that derive more than 10 per cent of their revenue from thermal coal mining as it embarks on the most aggressive immediate climate push of any large local investor.
Read MoreHow Hunter workers can reap benefits of zero-emissions jobs strategy
July 07, 2020
We are in one of the most challenging periods in Australia's history, facing a future of high unemployment and economic uncertainty. But what if we had a clear plan for how Australia can come out of this crisis with 1.8 million new jobs across...
Read MoreMillion Jobs Plan has Hunter region focus
June 30, 2020
The Hunter chapter evocatively captures the strengths, beauty and history our remarkable region and draws on these to paint a picture of the future that is dramatically different from our present, but seems very near and very possible.
Read MoreHESTA dumps coal, targets absolute net zero
June 26, 2020
Industry superannuation fund HESTA will divest pure play thermal coal miners immediately, reduce its emissions footprint by 33 per cent over the next decade, and dump all carbon-emitting companies by 2050.
Read MoreNSW government says 'no point' in cutting coal production as world demand will continue for decades
June 25, 2020
THE state government's new coalmining policy says there is no point in reducing coal exports for environmental reasons, and it opens up eight substantial areas for exploration in the Hunter and adjacent areas, including 178 square kilometres of state forest between historic Wollombi and...
Read MoreResources Minister says he recognises Paris Agreement, but it's full steam ahead on coal anyway
June 25, 2020
AT first glance, the state government's new "strategic statement on coal exploration and mining in NSW" looks like an attempt to navigate a middle course between the extremes of the energy debate, and to recognise the realities of the Paris Agreement.
Read MoreMiners back roadmap to reduced emissions
June 22, 2020
The lobby group representing Australia’s largest resources companies will commit to “decarbonising” the economy as it stares down pressure from its members to take more action on climate change.
Read More‘Terminal decline’: Study says coal transition not a choice
June 19, 2020
A NEW study claims thermal coal production can be phased out over the next decade with minimal distribution to workers and regional communities.
Read MoreBZE report says 50,000 sustainable jobs could be created in the Hunter
June 10, 2020
About 50,000 sustainable jobs could be created in the Hunter Region over the next five years as a result of a rapid expansion of renewable energy-based projects and zero-emissions industries, a new analysis has found.
Read MoreWhy are corporate giants pulling out of thermal coal?
June 04, 2020
IEEFA: Fiduciary duty is driving financial change. A striking development has occurred in the world of corporate finance. The past few months have seen a string of corporations divest from thermal coal, starting with US investment giant BlackRock and extending to Japan’s Mizuho and the Norwegian...
Read MoreHunter 2050 Foundation to drive economic diversification agenda for the Hunter
May 29, 2020
This is exciting news for the Hunter! The Hunter Joint Organisation, with project partner AGL, is moving ahead with plans to form The Hunter 2050 Foundation, and organisation dedicated to guiding the economic diversification and transformation of the Hunter Valley.
Read MoreRegion ready to drive change in rethinking waste
May 29, 2020
OFFICIAL MEDIA RELEASE - 28 MAY 2020 - Hunter Joint Organisation (HJO), with funding support from the NSW State Government, are rethinking waste and resource recovery in a bid to help transition the Hunter Central Coast region to a circular economy.
Read MoreRenewable Power is the key to the Hunter Valley transition
May 20, 2020
Push for high energy users to source electricity from renewable sources: A new research project aims to identify opportunities for the Hunter to transform into a diverse renewable energy-based economy.
Read MoreThermal coal spot price tumbles 25 per cent, putting pressure on some producers
May 15, 2020
The spot price for thermal coal has fallen 25 per cent per cent in the past month with one leading analyst saying it is because of a reduction in demand and a fundamental global shift to renewables.
Read MoreWhile the world looked the other way, corporate giants abandoned coal
May 15, 2020
Can we deal with a pandemic and global warming at once – both urgent, one an immediate hit, the other a decade-long burn? Well, yes, because – even with front pages dominated by COVID-19 – last month saw an astonishing concentration of decisions by...
Read MoreIEEFA update: The renewable energy transition is coming to Asia
May 14, 2020
The US–China trade war and COVID-19 have massively impacted coal financing
Read MoreCoal's price collapse threatens Australian mines
May 11, 2020
Almost 60 per cent of the world's thermal coal and more than 30 per cent of Australian thermal coal is unprofitable at current prices, creating a horror backdrop for the long list of miners and ports seeking to refinance debt this winter.
Read MoreGrattan Institute report says the Hunter has an historic opportunity to become part of a multi-billion dollar export-focused manufacturing sector.
May 11, 2020
"The Hunter region deserves a better strategy than just hoping that demand for coal will continue Indefinitely," Tony Wood, Grattan Institute Regions such as the Hunter had an historic opportunity to become part of a multi-billion dollar export-focused manufacturing sector based on their access...
Read More'Never more critical': Government pressed on low-carbon recovery study
May 04, 2020
The Berejiklian government is being urged by a lower house committee to report within months how the promotion of low-carbon technologies can help revive NSW's economy as well as reducing its dependence on coal.
Read MoreBiomass plant set to power up in NSW’s Hunter Valley
April 29, 2020
The former Redbank coal plant in NSW’s Hunter Valley will be repurposed into a biomass fuels power station, with owner Hunter Energy planning to start supplying energy into the national electricity grid by early next year.
Read MoreBioenergy push for emissions reduction and regional growth
April 27, 2020
Bioenergy could be the Morrison government's next step in its emissions reduction strategy, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency calling for public submissions to develop an industry growth strategy.
Read More