newy.com.au – Hunter Valley Operations has secured NSW planning approval to continue coal mining near Singleton until 2045, although the project still needs federal environmental approval.
The Independent Planning Commission’s decision allows HVO North to operate until the end of 2045 and HVO South until 2042. The northern mine’s existing approval was set to expire at the end of this year, while the southern mine was approved until 2030.
The NSW government said the continuation project would sustain up to 1,500 ongoing jobs and create about 600 temporary jobs for infrastructure upgrades if federal approval is granted.
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley welcomed the decision, saying it would bring relief to local families.
“I know many local families will sleep easier tonight knowing this proposal has now cleared a major planning hurdle,” she said.
HVO, a joint venture between Yancoal (51%) and Glencore (49%), involves extracting approximately 429 million tonnes of unprocessed coal over its life. Coal from the site is generally transported by rail to the Port of Newcastle for export.
The commission found that the project’s economic benefits to the Hunter, including employment, business activity, and tax revenue, outweighed its remaining environmental impacts, supporting an orderly transition for workers.
Greenhouse gas emissions remained a central issue during the three-day public hearing, which drew more than 10,000 written submissions. The project is estimated to generate 809 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over its life, with 98 per cent coming from downstream coal use overseas.
The Climate Council had urged the commission to reject the proposal, warning the lifetime emissions conflicted with state reduction targets.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the Greens. Newcastle candidate Lucinda Miller accused the state government of failing to invest in alternative local industries, while Wallsend candidate Alex Ford condemned the approval as hypocrisy during a climate transition. Alex Ford said “The hypocrisy of the Labor Party is disgusting. They are approving major fossil fuel expansions while saying that we need to reduce our NSW emissions. The science and the NSW Net Zero Commission is clear that we can not expand or have any new fossil fuel projects, yet Labor buries its head in the sand and tries to play both sides.”
Conditions attached to the approval require strict emissions management, including measures to maximise renewable energy use and restrict coal exports to countries adhering to the Paris Agreement.
The decision follows the release of the state’s NSW Coal Industry 2026–50 policy, which allows extensions to existing mines while ending greenfield applications. The project now awaits final Commonwealth approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
