I object to this proposal in the strongest possible terms. As a local resident with a family history on our property spanning five generations and over 100 years, the annihilation of our local environment is entirely abhorrent. This project cannot be permitted to expand beyond its current inappropriate limits. We already endure intolerable amounts of coal dust in the air, on our roofs and in our gutters, making rainwater undrinkable and the air unsafe to breathe; the constant background noise from the mine is unrelenting, and the regular blasting shakes the house through the foundations. Approving this proposal and exposing ourselves and everything in the surrounding environment to more air, water and noise pollution would be environmentally and socially disastrous.

The effects of an expansion would have far-reaching impacts beyond our previously quiet rural location. The recent decision by the NSW Court of Appeal on the Mt Pleasant coal mine expansion found that the full contribution of downstream emissions (Scope 3) to climate change from a coal mine must be assessed, even if the fuel is burnt overseas. They found that the full environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on a locality must be considered in making a decision on a project. This should include costs like rising insurance premiums and increasing costs of repairing roads and infrastructure after extreme weather. But the Hunter Valley Operations revised assessment specifically excludes consideration of downstream emissions in its economic assessment, and as a result it drastically underestimates the negative economic impacts of the project. The revised assessment should be withdrawn and the full assessment required by the Court of Appeal must be undertaken for the project - and it should then be placed back on public exhibition.

This is the biggest coal mine project ever considered in NSW. In total it proposed to mine 429 million tonnes of coal and extend the operation of this huge mining complex to 2045.
Overall, this coal mine expansion would add 803 million tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas pollution to the atmosphere between now and 2045. That equates to 7 times the total annual emissions from all sources in New South Wales. Even the direct emissions from the project, caused by releasing methane from the coal seam and from diesel used in operating the mine, will make a huge contribution to NSW emissions and make it even more difficult for NSW to meet climate targets. The NSW Large Emitters Guide states that coal mines should be on the same emissions reduction trajectory as NSW - to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and 70% by 2035. But this expansion does the direct opposite - it will result in massive increases in direct emissions by expanding the project. The expansion will actually double methane emissions compared to the existing mine (as at FY24) and then they will remain at elevated levels until 2042.

The proposed mine expansion will have devastating impacts on land and water in the Hunter Valley. The HVO mine complex straddles the Hunter River and the expansion intends to mine directly into strategic agricultural land and the River’s alluvial aquifer. Mining for the Continuation Project will worsen groundwater drawdown already affecting the Hunter River’s alluvial aquifer by half a metre. Cumulative drawdown of Wollombi Brook alluvium will be up to 2 metres and this impact will extend long after mining ceases.
Recent monitoring has identified that groundwater in the alluvium and other affected areas is exceeding water quality triggers in the HVO area. A large tailings storage dam adjacent to the river was found six years ago to be seeping into groundwater. Instead of expanding the mine, Glencore and Yancoal should be cleaning up the huge HVO site and investing in long-term environmental remediation of it.

Again, I most strenuously object to this proposal. The scale of destruction it would impose on the local area, and on people and environments far from the mine, are intolerable and must not be permitted in the pursuit of profit. Governments of all levels have a profound responsibility to protect the people they represent, and this proposal if permitted will cause immense harm and therefore must not be approved.

I fully support the HVO Continuation Project, as it is critical to sustaining jobs and economic growth in the Hunter region and contributes significantly to the broader NSW economy through royalties and local business opportunities. The project also plays an essential role in ensuring the ongoing supply of affordable and reliable energy, which will be increasingly important post-2030 as many other operations wind down and demand for dependable baseload power remains.

Allow the continuation

I support this project to grow the future

I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed Mining Project located in the Hunter Valley. This project represents a significant opportunity for regional development, economic growth, and responsible resource extraction.

Key reasons for support include:

Economic Benefits
The project will maintain hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, for ongoing operations. This will boost the local economy and provide much-needed employment in the region.

Community Development
The project proponents have shown a commitment to engaging with local communities, including Traditional Owners and Indigenous groups, and have outlined plans for community investment, skills training, and long-term support initiatives.

Environmental Management
The proposed environmental controls, rehabilitation plans, and water management strategies are in line with modern best practices.

I support the project as a valuable assett for the Hunter Valley

I support the project

In addition to HVO's known social and economic benefits to the Hunter and Australian economy's, the fact is we are part of the global trading world. HVO exports all of its coal to overseas markets. As per the IEA's 2024 energy outlook, Australia's key export markets for coal represent some of our key industrial import markets for energy intense manufactured goods. These countries such as Japan, India and Korea are deficient in their domestic energy production and are net energy importers as opposed to Australia. Japan as a key example represents a market that Australia benefits greatly from its high emission manufactured imports such as motor vehicles which Australia does not domestically produce. If Australia wants to import energy intense goods that we do not produce domestically we must face the reality that part of our obligation as an energy rich nation is that we must support the countries that complete this work for us. Coal represents a key stable and reliable fuel source for these countries even through the transition to net zero.

We need Coal plain and sympol

Submission Objecting to the Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) North and South Open Cut Coal Continuation Projects

I am writing to strongly object to the HVO North and South Open Cut Coal Continuation Projects. The proposed expansion represents one of the most environmentally and socially damaging coal projects ever considered in New South Wales. It is inconsistent with legal precedent, climate science, and the urgent need to protect land, water, and communities in the Hunter Valley.

Below I outline my objections under three key areas: (1) failure to properly consider climate change costs and legal precedent, (2) scale of greenhouse gas emissions and incompatibility with NSW climate targets, and (3) devastating impacts on land and water resources.

1. Failure to Consider Climate Change Costs and Legal Precedent

The revised economic assessment for the HVO Continuation Projects excludes downstream (Scope 3) greenhouse gas emissions. This approach is inconsistent with established legal precedent in New South Wales.

In the recent NSW Court of Appeal decision on the Mt Pleasant coal mine expansion, the Court made it clear that:

The full contribution of downstream emissions to climate change must be assessed, even when combustion occurs overseas.

The full environmental, social, and economic impacts of climate change on a locality must be considered when deciding whether to approve a project.

This includes real costs such as:

Rising insurance premiums as extreme weather becomes more frequent and destructive.

Increased expenditure on repairing roads, bridges, and other infrastructure damaged by floods, bushfires, and storms.

Ongoing health and productivity losses caused by heatwaves, smoke events, and climate-related stress.

By deliberately excluding Scope 3 emissions, the HVO Continuation assessment drastically underestimates the true economic and environmental costs of the project. This makes the document fundamentally flawed.

I therefore submit that the revised assessment must be withdrawn, and a new assessment undertaken that complies fully with the Court of Appeal’s ruling. This new assessment must be placed back on public exhibition to allow the public to properly evaluate its findings.

2. Scale of Project, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Climate Targets

The HVO Continuation is the largest coal project ever proposed in New South Wales, with plans to:

Mine 429 million tonnes of coal,

Continue operations until 2045, and

Add 803 million tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas pollution to the atmosphere.

To put this in perspective:

The project’s emissions are seven times greater than the annual emissions of the entire state of New South Wales.

Its direct methane and diesel emissions will significantly increase NSW’s baseline emissions at a time when all sectors must be rapidly reducing them.

The NSW Government’s Large Emitters Guide makes it clear that major emitters, including coal mines, must align with the state’s emissions reduction pathway:

A 50% cut by 2030, and

A 70% cut by 2035.

The HVO Continuation directly contradicts this requirement. Instead of reducing emissions, the project would:

Double methane emissions compared to the current mine (FY24 levels),

Keep emissions at elevated levels until at least 2042, and

Lock NSW into higher long-term emissions, undermining our state’s ability to meet its legislated targets.

Approving this project would not only jeopardize NSW’s climate commitments, it would also undermine Australia’s international credibility and global climate efforts. The scale of greenhouse pollution from HVO is fundamentally incompatible with the urgent task of limiting global warming to safe levels.

3. Impacts on Land and Water in the Hunter Valley

Beyond climate concerns, the HVO Continuation would have severe and lasting impacts on the Hunter Valley’s land and water resources.

Key impacts include:

Strategic agricultural land destruction: The expansion intends to mine directly into land critical for food production, undermining the region’s long-term agricultural viability.

Damage to the Hunter River alluvial aquifer: Mining will worsen existing groundwater drawdown, lowering the aquifer by an additional 0.5 metres.

Cumulative drawdown of Wollombi Brook alluvium: Up to 2 metres of drawdown, with impacts persisting long after mining has ceased.

Water contamination: Monitoring has already found groundwater in the HVO area exceeding water quality triggers. A major tailings dam adjacent to the Hunter River was found to be seeping into groundwater six years ago, posing a serious and ongoing risk.

These impacts threaten the integrity of the Hunter River system, which supports farming, ecosystems, and communities throughout the region. They also raise serious intergenerational equity issues: once groundwater systems are degraded and farmland is lost, they cannot simply be restored.

Rather than expanding the mine and compounding the damage, Glencore and Yancoal should be required to invest in long-term remediation of the existing HVO site. The scale of land disturbance and water risk already created by this operation demands cleanup and rehabilitation, not further expansion.

Conclusion

The HVO North and South Open Cut Coal Continuation Projects represent a massive step backward for New South Wales at a time when we urgently need to be moving forward toward sustainable energy, healthy ecosystems, and climate resilience.

The projects:

Fail to meet the legal and moral requirement to fully assess downstream emissions and climate costs,

Pose an enormous greenhouse burden fundamentally inconsistent with NSW’s climate targets, and

Threaten the long-term health of the Hunter Valley’s land and water.

For these reasons, I respectfully but firmly request that the HVO Continuation Projects be rejected.

Instead of locking NSW into decades more of high-pollution coal mining, Glencore and Yancoal should focus on cleaning up their existing sites, supporting workers and communities in the transition, and investing in industries that secure a safe and prosperous future.

Sincerely,
Michael Niemira-Dowjat.