Coal news and updates

Whitehaven seeks EPBC approval for 26MW solar-plus-storage site at coal mine in Australia

The Narrabri coal mine (above) has been approved to extract 11 million tonnes of coal per annum until 2031. Image: Whitehaven.

Whitehaven Energy, a subsidiary of coal producer Whitehaven Coal, is seeking Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act approval to power one of its mines via a 26MW solar-plus-storage project in Australia.

The proposal, available to view on the Australian government’s EPBC portal, aims to decarbonise the operations of Whitehaven’s Narrabri coal mine in New South Wales by utilising a 26MW solar PV power plant with an accompanying battery energy storage system (BESS).

The Narrabri coal mine has been in operation since 2012 and employs around 500 people. It is located 521km northwest of the state capital, Sydney, and has been approved to extract up to 11 million tonnes of coal annually until 2031. It will continue operating until 2044.

Whitehaven confirmed in its scoping report that the project will require a capital investment of around AU$45 million (US$29 million). The operational lifespan of the solar PV power plant would be 50 years, thus surpassing the decommission date for the coal mine.

The company said it would consider opportunities to divest the solar PV power plant to third parties or decommission the site at an earlier stage.

It is worth noting that the average electricity usage at the mine is expected to be around 11MW in 2024 and 13.9MW by 2030.

Two solar PV power plants are located in close proximity to the Narrabri mine. These are the 60MW Narrabri South Solar Farm, being developed by Chinese module manufacturing giant Canadian Solar, Engie’s 120MW Silverleaf solar project, and the 90MW Maules Creek Solar Farm and BESS project.