News
Australia has an opportunity now to invest in the climate future
April 16, 2020
University of New South Wales Professor Jeremy Moss has taken a close look at the conservative federal Liberal-National government’s fossil fuel subsidies in the climate of COVID-19.
Read MoreSouth Korea is on track to set a 2050 carbon neutrality goal
April 16, 2020
Seoul is to set a 2050 net zero emissions goal and end coal financing, after the Democratic Party’s landslide victory in one of the world’s first Covid-19 elections
Read MoreDoubling down on utility-scale renewables Solar and wind continue to attract investors as fossil fuel assets fall
April 08, 2020
IEEFA update: Amid the global economic crisis, utility-scale wind and solar continue to be seen not just as a long-term investment but one for the near term as well.
Read MoreIs this what the Hunter's coal miners can expect: locked gates, no retraining, no alternative economic strategies...?
March 16, 2020
The phase-out of the coal sector in the Hunter Valley will happen. The only real question is when? Will we be ready?
Read MoreCoronavirus threat to coal exports, industry viability
March 06, 2020
Daily Mercury, 6th March 2020 - REPORTS this week indicate that air pollution in China has declined to a record low. Far less coal, gas and oil is being burned after travel restrictions and factory shutdowns as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.
Read MoreWhat is the future of Hunter mining and its 13,000 direct employees?
March 02, 2020
What is the future of Hunter mining and its 13,000 direct employee?
Read MorePort of Newcastle 'clearly sees the risk' ahead for thermal coal
March 02, 2020
PORT of Newcastle's push to diversify from an over-reliance on thermal coal shows it "clearly sees the risk" and warning signs from Australia's biggest coal export destinations including Japan, said a leading energy finance analysis group.
Read MoreGermany is shutting down its coal industry for good, so far without sacking a single worker
February 20, 2020
Deep underground in Germany's Ruhr valley, Uwe Seeger plunges a drill into the black earth just as thousands of coal miners in this region have done before him.
Read MoreCapital flight from thermal coal is accelerating
January 23, 2020
IEEFA Update: Global capital flight from thermal coal and the coal-fired power sector is already at a canter in 2020. BlackRock’s January announcement of its divestment from thermal coal is huge, and an unexpected move by this global giant (US$7 trillion assets under management...
Read MorePort of Newcastle appoints Ross Cadell to advocate for Hunter economic diversification
January 15, 2020
Newcastle local and former NSW Nationals State Director Ross Cadell has joined Port of Newcastle at a critical time for the diversification of the Hunter economy and its international trade gateway. Mr Cadell begins as Special Projects Director on 3 February, leading the political...
Read MoreA fast train from Newcastle to Sydney could help the Hunter's economic transition
November 01, 2019
When Paul Keating speaks up, people usually listen. The former prime minister spoke up this week, calling for a fast train between Sydney and Newcastle.
Read MoreHotel mogul launches solar farm in coal country
October 24, 2019
Multimillionaire cosmetic surgeon and Australia’s largest private hotel owner Jerry Schwartz has embarked on a new project – a $10 million solar farm in the NSW Hunter Valley.
Read MoreBillions of dollars worth of large-scale renewable energy are in the pipeline across the Hunter
October 21, 2019
The Hunter Region is fast becoming a powerhouse for large-scale renewable energy projects that will help drive the region's transition from coal to a low-carbon economy.
Read MoreWhat's the plan for Mudgee for the coming decades?
October 17, 2019
What will the Mudgee region do after mining?
Read MoreLoss of well paid jobs poses the greatest threat to a collaborative and 'just' transition
October 11, 2019
The strongest arguments posed by those who want a continuation of coal mining and coal fired power stations in the Hunter are where will the existing workforce in these two industries find such well paid jobs and what will be the economic driver of...
Read MoreSingleton and Lake Macquarie councils have asked a federal jobs inquiry to help unlock mining's grip on Hunter land
October 08, 2019
HUNTER councils have called for federal and state government support to unlock mining land across the region for residential and commercial development. Lake Macquarie Council has identified several former mining areas on the lake's west to reduce the cost of delivering new housing, while...
Read MoreThe Port of Newcastle one of many groups calling for a Hunter plan to deal with climate change
October 04, 2019
THE Federal and NSW governments are under pressure over the lack of planning for the Hunter region's transition from coal after submissions from councils, trade unions, environment groups, Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper and the Port of Newcastle calling for government action.
Read MoreRegion's mines face global 'headwinds' over the next two years, says Office of the Chief Economist forecast
October 02, 2019
HUNTER coal mines are competing in an "oversupplied" global market that will see Australia's thermal coal export earnings slump from $26 billion in 2018-19 to a projected $18 billion by 2020-21, says a two-year forecast by the Federal Government's Office of the Chief Economist....
Read MoreLack of government leadership is the biggest issue as the region transitions away from coal
September 30, 2019
Energy Minister Angus Taylor's Liddell taskforce told Singleton 'comfortable' with Liddell closure plans. LACK of government leadership is the biggest issue facing the Hunter in the lead-up to the closure of Liddell power station and as the region transitions away from coal, Hunter councils...
Read MoreHunter councils have told a federal/state taskforce it's time for governments to lead transition from coal
September 28, 2019
FEDERAL Energy Minister Angus Taylor's announcement of a federal/state taskforce to look at the implications of the Liddell coal-fired power station closure in April, 2023 was panned by critics as a guise for propping up coal.
Read MoreStudents from across Australia have written to Hunter miners about an issue 'bigger than we've ever faced'
September 20, 2019
STUDENTS from across Australia have written to Hunter coal workers on the eve of a climate action strike in Newcastle today, after Wednesday's landmark rejection of the Bylong coal mine because of "intergenerational inequity".
Read MoreHunter Joint Organisation has formed a Regional Economic Transition Standing Committee
September 06, 2019
Upper Hunter Shire Mayor Wayne Bedggood has announced the recent formation of the Hunter Joint Organsation of Councils Standing Committee on Regional Economic Transition: ONE of the most commonly used buzzwords within Government and the media at present is "transition".
Read MoreSingleton's 'single engine economy' leaves its susceptible to coal price and demand fluctuations
August 26, 2019
Looking at the price graph for thermal coal shows how quickly the industry can go from boom to bust - like any commodity traded across the world.
Read MoreNSW energy inquiry
August 15, 2019
The NSW inquiry into the sustainability of energy supply and resources is an opportunity to give the people of the Hunter a seat at the table in diversifying and preparing our region for changes in energy and export markets. Make sure you grab your...
Read MoreMacquarie, JPMorgan explore BHP thermal coal sell-off
August 09, 2019
Market focus remains on BHP’s residual thermal coal businesses with investment banks Macquarie and JPMorgan doing work on exploring a potential exit of the business.
Read MoreRoadmap to Taranaki’s success in low-emissions future
August 07, 2019
The Taranaki 2050 Roadmap will help the region’s communities, enterprises, and residents navigate New Zealand’s shift to the low-emissions economy of the future, while ensuring the important aspects of life in Taranaki can be shared by everyone.
Read MoreSmart countries adapt to finance industry’s exodus from coal
July 25, 2019
IEEFA, 25th July 2019: The departure of private capital from coal power in the past two years risks becoming a stampede to the exit
Read MoreLower house inquiry to set 'responsible road map' out of coal for NSW
July 17, 2019
The Age, 17 July 2019: Plotting NSW's transition away from coal will be the subject of a parliamentary inquiry, including how the state can make the most of renewable energy supplies.
Read MoreBHP investigates moving on from thermal coal market
July 16, 2019
The Australian Business Review, 16th July 2019: Stronger signs are emerging that BHP is poised to exit the thermal coal market, with sources suggesting that the resources giant has hired Macquarie Capital to undertake a scoping study to determine whether to divest investments in...
Read MoreHow Germany closed its coal industry without sacking a single miner
July 14, 2019
The Age, 14th July 2019: Hans Mohlek stood at the gates of the Prosper-Haniel coal mine in the Ruhr Valley in the west of Germany on a warm summer afternoon earlier this month, looked up and wept quietly. The mine closed last December and Mohlek...
Read MoreAustralia’s key export market – Japan, moving beyond thermal coal
July 10, 2019
10 July 2019 (IEEFA Australia) – Australia will struggle to seek alternative markets for its thermal coal as a declining Japanese market increasingly turns towards cheaper renewable energy solutions, a new IEEFA report out today has found. The report, Japanese Thermal Coal Consumption Approaching Long Term...
Read MoreChinese expert warns Australia against investing in new coal mines
July 10, 2019
The Age, 10th July 2019: A Chinese renewable energy expert has warned Australia against investing in new coal mines because her country, one of Australia's biggest coal customers, is moving rapidly away from coal-based energy production. Australian thermal coal prices have dropped this year...
Read MoreGermany's coal exit contrasts with Australia
July 08, 2019
Bochum, Germany: While the ink is still drying on the approval for Australia's new controversial coal mine, Germany is working to extinguish the coal industry entirely. Read the full article from The Age here
Read MoreWhat Australia can learn from Germany's coal exit
June 27, 2019
June 27, 2019. German social historian Professor Stefan Berger and Director of Global And European Affairs with German mining trade union IG BCE Michael Mersmann speak to AAP about the lessons Australia can learn from Germany's exit from coal mining.
Read MoreAFR: BHP upgrades coal to dodge China ban
June 19, 2019
BHP is working on a plan to change the types of coal it produces in NSW in response to the Chinese import curbs that shocked coal markets earlier this year. China is the main buyer of export thermal coal from BHP's Mt Arthur mine...
Read More'No jobs on a dead planet', warns world's top union leader
June 18, 2019
The head of the international trade union movement has warned Australian unionists against putting coal jobs ahead of environmental concerns, as the CFMMEU pushes Adani for a commitment to long-term jobs at its controversial Queensland mine.
Read MoreUniversity of Newcastle researchers create a new material capable of storing energy when heated
June 11, 2019
A new material capable of revolutionising energy storage systems is on the verge of being commercialised at the University of Newcastle. Read the article in Newcastle Herald here
Read MoreHunter Region sits on the fault line of renewable energy evolution and the traditional coal industry
June 11, 2019
If ever there was a moment in history that highlighted the tension between the promise of renewable energy and an entrenched reliance on the coal industry it is the Hunter Region in 2019. Read the article from Matt Kelly of the Newcastle Herald here ...
Read MoreCoal transitions: What's at stake for workers, and what are the broader economic challenges?
June 08, 2019
If Australia is to move on from coal, how do we do it? An obvious gap in the Federal Election debates was a comprehensive plan for an industry, and employment, to replace coal in the regions. Geraldine Doogue speaks with Chris Briggs, Research principal at the Institute...
Read MoreThermal coal falls to lowest level in two years as climate policies take hold
June 07, 2019
HUNTER Valley coal prices have slumped by a quarter in the past year as a number of Asian countries move to reduce their reliance on coal for electricity generation, a leading industry journal, the Australian Coal Report, has confirmed. Read more here
Read MoreIEEFA report: GE made a massive bet on the future of natural gas and thermal coal, and lost
June 06, 2019
Investors lost hundreds of billions by GE’s misreading of the energy transition June 6, 2019 (IEEFA U.S.) – Investors lost billions when the (once) most valuable company in the world, General Electric Company (GE) and its largest shareholders – BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street and...
Read MoreAustralia’s Resource Industry – A Look into the Crystal Ball
June 05, 2019
Alexandra Heath, Head of Economic Analysis addresses the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies Perth – 5 June 2019 Excerpt: Global demand for Australia's commodities: One of the biggest factors affecting the global demand for commodities is population growth – more people need more places to live, more...
Read MoreRoad to renewal is region's route to resilience
June 04, 2019
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...
Read MoreIEEFA: Time to differentiate – thermal coal delivers royalty crumbs compared to coking coal
June 03, 2019
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
May 31, 2019
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...
Read MorePort of Newcastle chair Roy Green says Hunter can't rely on being protected from history's headwinds
May 25, 2019
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.
Read MoreRenewable energy could be Australia’s next big export industry
May 23, 2019
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...
Read MoreBHP says thermal coal has no future
May 18, 2019
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. ABC News reports
Read MoreWind and solar projects poised to lead Hunter's clean energy transition
May 07, 2019
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...
Read MoreHunter needs to prepare for future
May 01, 2019
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...
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