While the Federal Labor Government speaks the rhetoric of climate action, the actions betray the words with large subsidies for expansion of gas, and now 4 coal mines approved since Labor came to power in May 2022. Update: Callum Foote (Michael West Publishing) puts the number of new fossil fuel projects or extensions as ten as at 8 September.

On Thursday 31 August 2023 Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved the Gregory Crinum Coal Mine M-Block Extension Project (EPBC 2021/9127). The Minister’s approval decision has effect to 2073.

Previous coal mines that Minister Plibersek has approved include:

• the new Isaac River Coal mine in May,
• the new Star coal mine could proceed without assessment as a ‘controlled action’ in June,
• the Ensham coal mine to continue to mine thermal coal until 2037 approved in June.

Gregory Crinum Coal Mine extension project

The Gregory Crinum Coal Mine extension project will mine coal in newly approved areas using both open-cut and underground mining to the east of the previously approved mining area. The Gregory Crinum Mine currently mines 2 million tonnes of coking coal per annum. The approved expansion will allow this production rate to be maintained for another 20 years, until 2043 mining an additional 40 million tonnes of coal. 

The additional coal mined from the expanded project would produce 96 million tonnes of scope 3 emissions over the life of the mine, at a rate of 480,000 tonnes per annum, more than Australia’s total transport emissions in 2022 (93.5 MT)

Additional Scope 1 emissions from the approved extension are estimated to be approximately 46,000 tonnes CO2e per annum and up to 920,000 tonnes CO2e over the life of the mine. Scope 1 emissions are fugitive emissions, mostly from methane released from the coal seams during the mining process. The estimated scope 1 emissions are likely to be much higher as methane from coal mines in Australia is underestimated by as much as 80%.  Australia has signed the Global Methane Pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

The Independent Expert Scientific Committee of coal and coal seam gas (IESC) raised concerns about potential impacts on Koala, Ornamental snake and Yakka skink through clearing of habitat and groundwater drawdown impacting on groundwater dependent ecosystems that these species rely on. This committee also raised concerns on Impacts on groundwater over a final void, or permanent hole, to be left in the M-block area of the project. This void is one of 17 final voids that the proponent plans to leave behind.

Labor’s climate hypocrisy: new coal mines add to the climate crisis

Climate Council Head of Advocacy, Dr Jennifer Rayner, said: “The Albanese Government seems to work at two speeds: a go slow on environmental protection but green lights all the way for fossil fuels. 

“While reforms to Australia’s main national environment law have languished on the government’s to-do list, new polluting projects keep being waved through. 

“There are at least 21 more fossil fuel projects currently in the EPBC approval pipeline. Will the Albanese Government wave every one through before it gets around to delivering on its promise to strengthen this law?

“The cognitive dissonance is stunning. It makes zero sense to have one hand claiming Australia is a global leader on action on climate while the other is busy rubber stamping 50 more years of coal.”

The Australian Conservation Foundation, Australia’s peak environmental organisation, also called this coal mine approval reckless and inappropriate.

“Following the hottest July on record, as we’ve watched climate change wreaking havoc in Canada, Hawaii, Greece and Italy – and with Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology warning of a dangerous spring and summer ahead of us – it beggars belief that the government would approve a 50-year coal mine extension,” said ACF’s CEO Kelly O’Shanassy.

“With the UN Secretary General recently warning the world has entered the era of global boiling, approving a coal mine that could be shipping coal to be burnt through to 2073 is reckless and completely inappropriate.

“No matter where in the world this coal is burnt, it fuels global warming and harms nature and people in Australia – things that are the responsibility of our government.

“The fact that this coal mine – along with recent approvals of coal mines at Isaac River and Ensham – has been approved under our national environment law, highlights again how that law needs urgent reform.

“The reform of Australia’s national environment law is taking too long.

“The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act lacks any explicit requirement to account for the contribution new projects make to climate change.

“This needs to be fixed. It is untenable that Australia’s national environmental laws allow the approval of new fossil fuel projects that contribute to climate change and harm nature.

“While reform of the EPBC Act is critical, the slowness of those changes cannot be used as an excuse for the failure to stop approving new coal and gas projects.

“The existing Act contains broad powers for the Minister to refuse an approval for new fossil fuel projects and extensions. 

“ACF urges Minister Tanya Plibersek to use these powers now and stop approving new fossil fuel projects immediately.”

Key Insights

The Albanese Labor government is approving a new coal mine every month, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that no new coal mines can be dug. The International Energy Agency, the United Nations and IPCC all say that no new coal mining projects can proceed in order to reach net zero by 2050. The Albanese government needs to start taking climate science seriously and stop approving new coal mines. 

The Albanese Labor government claims it is ending the ‘climate wars’ while giving the go ahead to new climate wrecking coal mines. Approving new coal mines is completely at odds with Australia’s climate goals and incompatible with limiting the disastrous impacts of climate change. 

Pacific leaders have been categorically clear that Australia needs to stop approving new coal and gas mines. The Albanese government cannot hope to co-host the COP 31 climate summit with Pacific Island nations while continuing to approve more climate wrecking coal mines. 

Minister Plibersek is refusing to consider the impacts of climate change on Australia’s environment and is instead approving new climate wrecking coal mines. Minister Plibersek needs to listen to the science and acknowledge the disastrous impacts that coal and gas mines are having on Australia’s climate and environment. 

The approval of yet another polluting coal mine shows just how broken our national environment laws are. Climate change, driven by coal and gas, is the biggest threat our environment is facing, yet our current environmental laws don’t even consider the climate harm caused by new coal and gas mines. Australia’s environment laws urgently need to be strengthened so the climate impacts of coal mines are considered and assessed. 

What the International Energy experts say:

The International Energy Agency 2021 report, Net Zero by 2050 – A  Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, makes it clear that no new fossil fuel development can be made if the world is to reach net zero by 2050 and there is no need for any new investment in coking coal. This includes metallurgical or coking coal mines, thermal coal mines, and coal fired power stations. 

Page 103 of the IEA report states: No new coal mines or extensions of existing ones are needed in the NZE as coal demand declines precipitously. Demand for coking coal falls at a slightly slower rate than for steam coal, but existing sources of production are sufficient to cover demand through to 2050.  

In October 2022, the IEA’s World Energy Outlook reiterated the calls for no new fossil fuel development. The analysis found there is no need for any new coal mines or mine life extensions in the agency’s scenario to achieve net-zero emissions. The IEA predicts production of coal for power generation would fall by 50 per cent this decade and coking coal demand shrink by 30 per cent. 

The IEA World Energy Outlook 2022 states: (Page 423): In the NZE Scenario, there is no need for new coal mines or mine lifetime extensions, and no new coal‐fired power plants are approved. Average annual investment in coal to 2030 is two‐ thirds lower than in recent years, and the remaining coal‐related investment is focussed on maintaining production at existing mines as they wind down and on reducing their emissions intensity as much as possible, for example through reducing coal mine methane emissions.

Update: 10 Fossil fuel projects approved

Callum Foote, writing for Michael West Media, has a more detailed list of 10 projects fossil fuel projects approved or sanctioned by the Albanese Government

Fossil fuel projects approved by the Albanese government include:

• 30 August 2023: Approved the expansion of the Gregory Crinum Coal Mine in central Queensland for 11 years. Gregory Crinum is owned by Australian miner Sojitz Blue.
• 29 June 2023: Approved the nine-year extension of the Ensham thermal coal mine, owned by Japanese fossil fuel giant Idemitsu Kosan.
• 23 June 2023: Decided that the proposed Star coal mine did not require environmental approval, and could proceed as planned.
• 30 May 2023: Approved the Isaac River Coal Mine Project, owned by Bowen Coking Coal.
• 12 February 2023: Approved Santo’s Towrie Gas Development.
• 10 February 2023: Approved Santos’ Dorado Development in the Bedout basin. Dorado will be designed for liquid handling rates of 100 thousand standard barrels per day (KSTB/d) and gas reinjection capacity of 235 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) over 20 years.
• 6 January 2023: Extending the life of the Lake Vermont open-cut coalmine, owned by Jellinbah Group, until 2063. This decision does not increase the amount of coal that can be mined, only the period of time it can be mined in.
• 27 June 2022: Approved Santos’ ‘Van Gogh’ Petroleum Field Development project.

References:

• Climate Council, 1 September 2023, Albanese Government’s stunning Hypocrisy: Coal Mine extension gets the Go Ahead, https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/albanese-governments-stunning-hypocrisy-coal-mine-extension-gets-the-go-ahead/
• Australian Conservation Foundation, 1 September 2023, Coal mine extension to 2073 is reckless in the era of global boiling, https://www.acf.org.au/coal-mine-extension-to-2073-reckless-in-global-boiling-era
• EPBC Act Public Portal, Gregory Crinum Coal Mine M-Block Extension Project, https://epbcpublicportal.awe.gov.au/all-referrals/project-referral-summary/?id=407b173b-6261-ec11-80d0-00505684c137
• Callum Foote, Michael West publishing, 8 September 2023, Ten and rising: Albanese government new fossil fuel approvals unveiled https://michaelwest.com.au/ten-and-rising-albanese-government-new-fossil-fuel-approvals-unveiled/