9 April 2026
Today's approval of the Chain Valley coal mine extension by the Independent Planning Commission is pushing the state recklessly toward climate chaos as another three big coal mines rush to expand their operations this year, Nature Conservation Council NSW (NCC) warns. If the planning authority continues today's approach and approves all three additional coal mines, it would unleash more than 1 billion extra tonnes of climate pollution.
Today's approval of the Chain Valley Consolidation Project on the Central Coast will allow the mine to extend operations from its slated closure date in 2027 to 2029, to supply the Vales Point power station.
Quotes attributable to NCC CEO, Jacqui Mumford:
"This is the first coal mine approval since the NSW Climate Change Act came into effect and is the first in an avalanche of coal projects seeking approval this year.
"If the planning authority approves the three other coal mines in the pipeline, it would unleash more than 1 billion extra tonnes of climate pollution at a time when we need to be cutting emissions rapidly. This is disastrous for everyone in NSW and globally.
"Chain Valley releases huge amounts of methane gas from its shafts, in fact it is one of the most polluting coal mines in NSW.
"The pollution from coal mines costs NSW residents enormously by causing extreme weather events and more intense bush fires.
"It will get even worse if other coal mine expansions in the pipeline are approved. These three mines are some of the biggest coal mines ever proposed.
"The Minns government needs to properly assess climate impacts and stop making the mistake of approving developments where the costs and harms outweigh the benefits.
"It is unacceptable that a major climate polluter can extend their operations without committing to any genuine measures to reduce emissions.
"We call on the NSW government to update planning guidance to ensure full consideration of lifecycle emissions and climate impacts in coal mine assessments in line with NSW and international law."
