Most Tasmanians probably don’t realise that Tasmania has two operating coal mines, that produce about one million tonnes of coal per year between them. Readers may also be surprised to learn that a new coal mine has been proposed by Hard Rock Coal Mining, 15 km west of St Marys, that could double the state’s coal output.
The proponent has talked up the potential for using the coal to produce hydrogen using some unexplained ‘clean’ process. Given that there have been no details provided about the hydrogen proposal, we have focused on stopping the coal mining. We are also working to influence the demand for coal use by major industries, by lobbying them to stop using coal and to transition to preferred alternatives.
Tasmania’s two operating coal mines, both producing black coal, are the Cullenswood mine at Fingal and the Blackwood mine at St Marys. Both mines are owned and operated by Cement Australia.
Coal from both mines is washed (‘washing’ removes less desirable materials and reduces emissions of ash and sulphur dioxide when the coal is burned) at the Duncan Siding near Fingal before being loaded onto TasRail carriages and transported to industrial users. Most industrial users in Tasmania have stopped using coal in recent years. Cement Australia’s website informs us that regular purchasers of the coal derived from the Blackwood mine at St Mary once included:
• Simplot, an agricultural vegetable processor at Scottsdale and Ulverstone;
• UMT, a milk processor at Spreyton;
• Cadbury, a chocolate maker at Glenorchy; and
• Cascade, a brewing company in Hobart.
All of these companies have switched over to natural gas in recent years.
This only leaves the Norske Skog paper mill near New Norfolk and Cement Australia’s cement plant at Railton as the major Tasmanian customers still using Tasmanian coal. Norske Skog has recently decided to replace coal as the fuel for its boilers (steam is used in the making of paper and coal has been their preferred fuel) and will decide by early next year what the preferred new fuel will be. The TCT is lobbying Norske Skog to not use gas and if forest residue is to be used that it should be from plantations and not native forests. This will leave Cement Australia as the only major Tasmanian consumer of coal and it also owns the existing coal mines at fingal and St Mary’s.
Campaign to stop Hard Rock Coal Mining’s new coal mine
The TCT is working with a range of other groups (in the fossil free Tasmania/lutruwita Alliance) to stop the new Hard Rock Coal Mine from opening. Hard Rock Coal Mining has proposed reopening a permitted but long-stalled coal mine 15 km west of St Marys, north-east Tasmania. It would produce one million tonnes of coal per year. The proposed mine received planning and environmental approvals in early 2013. The lease was granted in August 2013 and will expire on 1 August 2023 unless the minster renews it. From what we can determine, after receiving the planning permit in 2013 no coal has been removed and we are advised that it has been on a care and maintenance basis ever since. The TCT has written to the Break O’Day Council asking if the permit remains valid but have not yet received a reply.
No new coal mines can be built if we are serious about tackling global warming. You can help stop the Hard Rock coal mine from going ahead. Sign the TCT’s petition calling for the Minister for Resources, Felix Ellis, to not renew the mining lease when it expires in August 2023: www.tasconservation.org.au/no-new-coal-mine-in-tasmania
Burning coal is the largest source of carbon emissions in Australia. Coal mines are also a significant source of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, even after the mining has ceased. The Hard Rock coal mine will have severe impacts on the local environment, including the risk of disturbing acid-producing waste rock that could pollute ground water and creeks.
There are Wedge-tailed eagle nests that could be impacted by the mine, including one that is several hundred metres from the mine operation and access road. The eagle assessments dismissed the potential for added truck traffic to impact the nesting eagles. It is notable that the eagle assessment is now more than ten years old and was undertaken by staff from tforestry Tasmania.
A new coal mine would add to global warming, undermine Tasmania’s image and threaten the transition to renewable energy. As detailed above, most industrial users in Tasmania have already stopped using coal in recent years. We don’t need another mine.
The business case for the mine is weak as Hard Rock Coal Mining will likely need government subsidies for a rail loading facility. TasRail has confirmed to TCT that it has have not submitted a development application for a loading facility and has no plans to extend the Fingal rail line to the new mine location. The original proposal made no provision for a washing facility. This would need a separate development application, require significant water resources and be an additional cost.