Hunter Valley Operations coal mine continuation approved to 2045 with conditions

Newy 87.8 FM – The NSW Independent Planning Commission has approved, with conditions, the Hunter Valley Operations North and South open cut coal mine continuation projects in the Singleton and Muswellbrook district, extending mining to 2045 at HVO North and 2042 at HVO South.

The two State significant development applications cover extraction of approximately 430 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal across both mines. The approval followed a six-year assessment process.

The Commission imposed greenhouse gas conditions, including a Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Plan within six months in consultation with the EPA, maximising renewable energy use within four years of commencement, and a Scope 3 Management Plan within three months limiting coal exports to jurisdictions with Paris-consistent emissions policies.

A Closure Management Plan must be prepared within 12 months in close consultation with Muswellbrook Shire and Singleton Councils and the local community. Conditions also cover biodiversity, water, noise and dust.

The three-member panel considered 10,576 written submissions and 129 verbal submissions over a three-day public hearing in July 2026. The Commission's Statement of Reasons recognises the proposed 809 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions would contribute to climate change impacts on the Hunter region, NSW and globally.

HVO General Manager Dave Foster called the approval "a pivotal milestone" for 1,500 mine workers. The project remains subject to Federal environmental approval, required by the end of December 2026 for operations to continue.

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