Australia’s New South Wales state to prohibit new coal mines

Bloomberg News | March 19, 2026 | 5:42 pm Energy Regulatory Issues Australia Coal

BHP operates an open-cut energy coal mine in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. Credit: BHP

New South Wales, Australia’s second-biggest coal-producing state, will ban new mine applications for the fossil fuel.

The state government would not approve so-called ‘greenfield’ coal mines, which are developed from scratch, in a move designed to cut emissions and meet its net zero target, it said in a statement on Thursday. The ban will not affect existing coal mines or expansions of those projects.

The government will continue to “support coal production where it is already occurring,” and ensure NSW “can meet its commitments to key trading partners,” it said in the statement.

Coal is NSW’s biggest export, worth around A$33 billion ($23.4 billion) a year, according to the government. The majority of the state’s shipments are thermal coal and are sent to power stations in Japan, China and Taiwan.

“As the need for thermal coal declines we are planning for future jobs and energy in coal-dependent regions,” Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said in the statement.

The industry employs about 26,000 people and the government will establish a Future Jobs and Investment Authority to help transition workers into new careers, NSW said.

The biggest coal miners in NSW include Glencore Plc, Yancoal Australia Ltd., and Whitehaven Coal Ltd.. The world’s biggest miner BHP Group also has some coal operations in the state, although much less than in neighboring Queensland, the country’s biggest coal-producing state.