This Month
Mine or money pit? Dartbrook coal believers stump up again
It’s almost a decade since Nathan Tinkler launched a revival plan for Dartbrook coal mine, and the heirs of that strategy are making one last push to get it up.
- Peter Ker
September
- Opinion
- Energy transition
Dutton’s nuclear folly is an economy wrecker
Under the Coalition, Australian manufacturing would face a decade of uncertainty and taxpayers would finance the renationalisation of electricity generation.
- Craig Emerson
Daniel’s glaring emissions omission
Readers’ letters on the energy transition; university research; the pace of reform; and the performance of Olympic rowers
Pacific National takes hefty write-down on NSW coal business
The rail freight group has written off $424 million and blamed lower container freight volumes, bad weather and smaller harvests for deepening the annual loss of its parent.
- Jenny Wiggins
High Court blow to Australia-backed coal mine in UK
Mining entrepreneur Owen Hegarty has spent a decade backing West Cumbria Mining’s controversial plan to mine coking coal in England. His bet is looking shaky.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Exclusive
- International students
Capping overseas students will trigger recession: economists
Australia’s commodities surge is over. Yet, the booming $50bn education sector is the subject of ferocious cuts with dire consequences.
- Julie Hare
AGL, nation’s biggest carbon emitter, awarded stellar ESG rating
Influential proxy advisor CGI Glass Lewis says the Mike Cannon-Brookes-backed company is being transparent about its efforts to pivot to clean power.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
August
Miners forced to the table for industry’s first multi-employer deal
The Fair Work Commission has sided with mining unions in a precedent ruling for Labor’s multi-employer bargaining laws, raising the prospect of mass mine shutdowns.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Yancoal’s 20pc crash is about more than a missing dividend
Queensland and NSW’s big coal miners have their eyes up, knowing consolidation makes sense and could create value for investors.
- Anthony Macdonald
Yancoal withholds dividends to hoard cash for M&A spree
The cashed-up miner has declined to pay dividends ahead of “potential corporate initiatives”, triggering a massive slump in its share price.
- Peter Ker
Whitehaven cuts 192 jobs at former BHP coal mines
The coal producer found “unnecessary” layers of complexity and duplication at the Daunia and Blackwater sites since acquiring them for $6.4 billion in April.
- Peter Ker
China warns winter is coming for iron ore miners
Australian iron ore exporters believe their mines are resilient despite shares slumping to multi-year lows and Chinese steelmaker Baowu issuing a dire outlook.
- Peter Ker
Coal miners go it alone with first lobby group in more than a decade
But the companies say the emergence of Coal Australia will not lead to a split of the powerful resources association Minerals Council of Australia.
- Peter Ker
Early winter freeze, wind drought challenge climate targets
The Albanese government’s 2030 target for a 43 per cent reduction in national carbon emissions got off to a bad start in 2023 and hopes for a fall in the year to June have been jeopardised by coal’s surge.
- Ben Potter
- Updated
- Carbon challenge
Glencore says ESG mood has ‘evolved’ and it will keep coal mining
The Swiss-based commodities giant had proposed spinning off the fossil fuel into a separate company but has decided to retain the division.
- Updated
- Peter Ker
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Investors are developing a ‘dirty’ little secret
Glencore’s decision to keep its energy coal business is part of a broader push back against climate-related strategy shifts by big emitters.
- James Thomson
Closing Eraring would have driven up power bills: research
Electricity prices would be $55 a megawatt-hour higher if Origin were to close the coal power plant next year, the government was told.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Anglo American’s bankers court Indonesian bidders
BUMA and MACH are understood to be discussing a joint bid, but are yet to formally commit to working together.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
July
Eraring output at five-year high as coal dependence persists
Origin Energy lifted provisions on plant sites by $235 million and warned of a big jump in coal costs for the generator.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Big Glencore shareholders want to keep coal
An influential group of Glencore shareholders want the company to abandon a plan to spin-off its coal division, and allocate those earnings to new avenues of growth.
- Peter Ker