Whitehaven seeks to power one of Australia’s dirtiest coal mines with solar and battery storage

One of Australia’s dirtiest thermal coal mining projects, recently approved for a major expansion by the federal environment minister, is now seeking permission to build solar and battery storage to help power its operations.

Whitehaven Energy is seeking a federal green tick for the solar and battery project, which it says would be used to provide behind-the-meter electricity supply to the Narrabri underground thermal coal mine in New South Wales.

Whitehaven’s Narrabri coal mine has, itself, only recently emerged from its own journey through the federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act, as one of three major NSW thermal coal mine expansions to be given the green light in September.

The approval of the Narrabri Stage 3 Project, which extended the life of the coal mine from 2031 to 2044, was received with a mix of mainly shock, dismay and anger, with the head of Greenpeace Australia Pacific describing it as an “act of unparalleled environmental vandalism.”

Opponents of the expansion had argued that it would boost the mine’s emissions to 1.36m tonnes of CO2-equivalent a year, making it the dirtiest thermal coal mine in Australia.

Christine Carlisle, the president of the Environment Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ), which had led a legal battle against the Narrabri extension, described being “utterly devastated” at the news.

“We fought so hard to avoid this,” Carlisle said at the time.

“It’s abhorrent the Albanese government has chosen to approve three massive coal mines that will dig and burn coal until 2066 when the science is clear: this is supercharging climate breakdown.”

Federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek said the decision to approve the expansion was made “in accordance with the facts and the national environmental law.”

Whitehaven, meanwhile, welcomed the approval, which it said had faced significant delays “arising from unnecessarily protracted State and Federal Government assessment processes … exacerbated by indulging Green claims through the administrative and legal systems.”

“This undermines Australia’s status as a destination for foreign investment – which for the Narrabri Mine includes Japanese, Korean and Chinese Joint Venture partners – and curtails the economic contribution of our resources sector, which has underpinned Australia’s prosperity for decades,” the company said in a statement.

In seeking approval to build a solar farm at the coal mine, Whitehaven says it will provide for increased supply of renewable electricity to Narrabri, to “help meet the Commonwealth Government’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.”

The solar and battery project would be located adjacent to the existing Narrabri Mine on Whitehaven Coal-managed land and would incorporate an agri-solar design for sheep grazing, the referral documents say.

“The design operational life of the Action is 50 years, at which point the Action would be reconditioned with updated technology or decommissioned.

“As the Narrabri Mine, which is currently permitted to operate to 2044, … is expected to close prior to the expiration of the design life of the solar farm, Whitehaven would look at opportunities to divest the solar farm to third parties or decommission the Project at that earlier stage.”