{
  "id": 10902334,
  "title": "Largest coal project in state history greenlit to 2045",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/largest-coal-project-in-state-history-greenlit-to-2045",
  "topic": null,
  "section": null,
  "published": "2026-09-30T07:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discovered",
    "slug": "discovered",
    "url": "https://katherinetimes.com.au/story/9360347/largest-coal-project-in-state-history-greenlit-to-2045"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The largest coal mining project in the history of the state has been given the green light to continue until 2045, sparking concern among climate activists. The Yancoal and Glencore-owned Hunter Valley Operations, located near Singleton, is one of the biggest coal mines in New South Wales, employing around 1,500 people to extract and export the commodity overseas. The Independent Planning Commission announced on Wednesday that the operations can proceed until 2045. The company claims it has contributed over $6.9 billion to the economy, including $3.8 billion in goods and services from 750 suppliers. The decision came after a six-year assessment process with more than 10,000 submissions filed and will enable the extraction of approximately 429 million tonnes of high-quality thermal and coking coal from the open-cut mining complex. New South Wales Resources Minister Courtney Houssos hailed the approval as a victory for the local economy, stating that the state is on track to meet its environmental goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, environmental groups like Lock the Gate Alliance have criticized the commission for not adequately addressing recent natural disasters in the region, calling it a \"generational failure\" that will worsen the climate crisis. They argue that the pollution from the coal mine will exacerbate global warming, with the mine releasing over 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over its extended life. The state's net zero targets do not include greenhouse gas emissions from Australian-sourced fossil fuels burned overseas, according to the commission. The commission considered various concerns, including climate change impacts and the social, employment, and economic benefits of the mine's continuation, concluding that these outweighed other concerns. The project still requires federal environmental approval by December 2026.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}