NSW has left the door open for thermal coal to be produced from a Narrabri mine past 2050, which environmental activists say conflicts with the federal government’s vaunted aim of reaching net-zero emissions.
Documents obtained by a Freedom of Information request by local weather motion group Lock the Gate Alliance present two exploration licences might add 15 years to the lifetime of the Whitehaven operation.
But the NSW authorities says the granting of licences does not imply the mine will essentially proceed producing coal past its present approval window.
Originally slated to function till 2031, Whitehaven was in April granted an extension to 2044 to extract an extra 82 million tonnes of coal.
The Independent Planning Commission mentioned the mission on the state’s northwest slopes fulfilled an “appropriate balance between relevant environmental, economic and social considerations”.
The underground mine has been working since 2011 and accounted for 2 to a few per cent of the state’s saleable manufacturing of thermal coal in 2019/20.
Whitehaven mentioned the 13-year extension granted in April would supply the state with $600 million in financial advantages and preserve 500 native jobs alive for many years.
However, the exploration licence paperwork present an growth of the mine into two areas to the northwest might lengthen the lifetime of the coal mission by one other 15 years to 2059 if the sections have been authorised and developed.
The potential extension of the Narrabri mine past 2044 has been lambasted for going towards the federal government’s dedication to attaining net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Behind closed doors, the Perrottet government is waving through coal proposals that would make it impossible for the state to reach its existing carbon reduction goals,” Lock the Gate nationwide coordinator Ellen Roberts mentioned.
“There is no way the government could reach net zero by 2050 if Whitehaven continues to expand thermal coal mines until 2059.”
If developed, the mine extension would additionally increase manufacturing from 5.4m tonnes per yr to 8m tonnes, the paperwork say.
“The Perrottet government needs to stop sacrificing water and farmland for an industry that is the main driver of dangerous climate change,” Ms Roberts mentioned.
The exploration licence purposes have been submitted in February and authorised by Deputy Premier Paul Toole in September for an space masking 3721 hectares.
Both purposes are for land in an space often known as Gorman North, which the federal government has recognized for potential strategic launch.
Local farmers oppose the transfer, arguing the realm sits atop a recharge zone for the Great Artesian Basin and mining thermal coal threatens the continuing provide of groundwater important for native agriculture.
Mr Toole downplayed the fears, saying that exploration didn’t essentially imply the areas can be mined.
“The grant of two coal exploration licences in Narrabri authorise exploration activity only – they do not authorise mining, and the granting of an exploration licence is no guarantee that mining will take place,” he informed AAP.
Last yr, Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action launched a authorized problem to the planning fee’s approval of the Narrabri mine operations till 2044.
A courtroom listening to is scheduled for January 31.
