Climate change: Australia wrestles with its coal mining dilemma
For more than 200 years, workers at the Port of Newcastle have loaded ships with coal dug out of nearby mines for transport to Asia and beyond. But with global action to tackle climate change set to decimate the trade, the management at the world’s biggest coal port is preparing for a future without the fossil fuel that generates 60 per cent of its revenues.
“The future of coal is obviously questionable and we have to prepare for that,” says Roy Green, chair of the port, which is a gateway to the Hunter Valley, a coal mining region 280km north of Sydney. “We are likely to see a continuing flattening of coal volumes through the port and ultimately a decline, as the world switches away from coal-fired power.”
I had these conversations over supper while workers in Hi-Vis gear and union shirts mixed it with white-collar types and activists. The supper menu reflected this diversity: party pies; meat balls and savs competed for attention with vegan wraps, sushi and mini quiches.
Workers and environmentalists had come together to discuss an environmentally-friendly, jobs-rich economic transformation under the auspices of the Hunter Jobs Alliance.
This dialogue is being generated by the changes in technology and energy production.
Carly White, a young fitter, noted this when she spoke about the need for a shift in how mining, manufacturing and power generation are done. The region’s four local coal-fired power stations, for example, are scheduled to close by 2035.
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Death of coal-fired power is inevitable – yet government still has no plan to help its workforce
Yallourn power station – Australia’s oldest, dirtiest coal plant – will close four years ahead of schedule in 2028. Announcing the move this week, operator Energy Australia said it will build a giant energy storage battery on the site to make room for more renewables. This is a powerful statement about where our energy system is heading.
Author Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
Yallourn has operated for 47 years burning brown coal. It supplies one-fifth of Victoria’s energy and employs 500 permanent workers and hundreds more contractors. It’s also responsible for 13% of Victoria’s emissions.
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