Coal in Australia

Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur in Queensland and New South Wales.^[1] About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia,^[2] and of the balance most is used in electricity generation. In 2019-20 Australia exported 390 Mt of coal (177 Mt metallurgical coal and 213 Mt thermal coal) and was the world's largest exporter of metallurgical coal and second largest exporter of thermal coal.^[3] While only employing 50,000 mining jobs nationally coal provides a rich revenue stream for governments.^[4]

Coal mining in Australia has been criticized,^[5][6] due to carbon dioxide emissions during combustion. This criticism is primarily directed at thermal coal, for its connection to coal-fired power stations as a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, and the link to climate change in Australia and worldwide.^[7] Coal was responsible for 30% (164 million tonnes) of Australia's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, not counting methane and export coal, in 2019.^[8] Coal as a fuel was responsible for 41% (160 million tonnes) of carbon dioxide emissions in Australia in 2020.^[8]

The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which followed the draft report in the Garnaut Climate Change Review, placed a price on carbon emissions through a reducing cap and trade emissions trading scheme and incentivised against carbon pollution temporarily, before it was revoked in 2014. Despite a target to reduce GHG emissions Australia continues to open new coal mines.^[9]

In 2021, coal accounted for 64% of energy production and 32% of the Total Energy Supply (TES), with 93% of its consumption by the heat and electricity generation sector and the remaining 7% by the industrial sector.^[10]