The NSW Department of Planning is facing criticism after putting a new expansion proposal for the Mount Pleasant coal mine on public display while a landmark climate case involving the same project is before the High Court. The mine, located on the edge of Muswellbrook, is seeking approval to extract an additional 78 million tonnes of coal.
Environmental group Lock the Gate says the move undermines the state’s efforts to reduce emissions and protect communities from worsening climate impacts. Spokesperson Georgina Woods said the expansion would contribute to rising costs and increasing danger for regional residents already dealing with extreme heat and fire risk.
“The Court of Appeal’s decision made it clear that the local impacts of climate change caused by downstream greenhouse pollution must be considered,” she said.
“Every tonne of coal and every tonne of greenhouse pollution is an act of self-harm to the people of New South Wales.”
The NSW Court of Appeal overturned the mine’s previous expansion approval last year, finding the Independent Planning Commission had failed to consider climate impacts. The company has since taken the case to the High Court.
Despite the legal uncertainty, the Department of Planning has opened public submissions on ‘Modification 8’, which would allow the mine to emit an additional million tonnes of greenhouse pollution in NSW over the next five years. Lock the Gate says the decision also conflicts with advice from the NSW Net Zero Commission, which stated in December that further coal mine expansions are not consistent with the state’s climate targets or the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Since the Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Act commenced in 2023, the state has approved eight coal mine expansions.
