IPC approves Hunter Valley Operations coal mine extension to 2045 with conditions
Johannes Plenio / PexelsAerial view of heavy machinery in an open-pit mine.(File image: Johannes Plenio / Pexels)
Newy 87.8 FM – The NSW Independent Planning Commission has approved, with conditions, the Hunter Valley Operations North and South open-cut coal continuation projects near Singleton, extending mining to 2045 and 2042 respectively.
The Commission announced the approval of the two State significant development applications on 30 September 2026, after a panel of Simon Smith, Janett Milligan and Michael Chilcott considered 10,576 written submissions and 129 verbal submissions over a three-day public hearing.
The Commission's Statement of Reasons recognises the project's 809 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, from mining plus overseas combustion, would contribute to climate change impacts on the Hunter, NSW and globally.
Conditions include a Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Plan within six months, measures to maximise renewable energy use within four years, a Scope 3 Management Plan within three months, and a Closure Management Plan within 12 months prepared in close consultation with Muswellbrook Shire and Singleton Councils.
Glencore welcomed the decision. HVO is independently managed on behalf of joint venture owners Yancoal (51 per cent) and Glencore (49 per cent). HVO says the project provides ongoing employment for around 1,500 people plus 600 temporary construction jobs.
The Minns Government also welcomed the determination, with Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos calling it 'a great outcome for workers and communities across the Hunter'. The Climate Council condemned the approval, describing HVO as the largest coal project ever proposed in NSW.
The project still requires Federal environmental approval, needed by the end of December 2026 for operations to continue.
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