Government buys out Shenhua coal, curbs Dartbrook and opens up Wollar We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Normal text size Advertisement The Berejiklian government has shifted gears on its coal strategy, paying $100 million to extinguish one mining lease, putting new curbs on another mine and opening up more land near Mudgee for more coal exploration. Herald on Tuesday, the government has bought out Shenhua’s Watermark project, ending plans to extract as many as 300 million tonnes of coal over three decades from three pits on the Liverpool Plains near Breeza. The announcement on Wednesday ended a 13-year fight.