‘Crunch time’: 1000 NSW coal miners fear axe over Eraring stoush

Hundreds of NSW miners at risk of unemployment fear they’ll have to move interstate to put bread on the table, as an eleventh hour campaign is launched to save their jobs tied to Eraring power station.

Hundreds of NSW miners at risk of unemployment fear they’ll have to move interstate to put bread on the table, as an eleventh hour campaign is launched to save their jobs tied to Eraring power station.

Origin Energy, the operator of Eraring, is threatening not to renew its contract with Centennial Coal, whose two mines Mandalong and Myuna supply the station.

Myuna is completely captured by Eraring, with 100 per cent of its produce conveyor-belted straight to the facility.

Centennial says up to 1000 jobs could be cut if Origin – which is in sensitive discussions with the NSW government to keep Eraring open beyond its forecast closure date next year – doesn’t extend their contract.

In a bid to save their jobs, the ‘Remember Your Origin’ campaign was launched by the Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association (CSOA) on Tuesday, with organiser Belinda Giblin saying it was “crunch time” with a deal yet to be struck.

Centennial Coal employees Adam Cowen and Nathan Smith. Picture: Richard Dobson

“If there’s no deal between Origin and Centennial, there’s no doubt in my mind Myuna will close, and Mandalong will be seriously affected,” she said.

Joseph Price, an underground coal miner at Myuna for 14 years, said he was among those worried he’d have to move away or relocate his young family if the mine shut.

“It makes you nervous – to rely on things outside of our control, it’s hard to take,” he said.

Troy Potter, who has worked at Mandalong for 16 years, said workers were concerned their skill sets they’d developed over decades would now be rendered useless.

“Because our skill sets are specific to mining, if we lose the mines in this area, we’ll have to go elsewhere – assuming the jobs in the area are already taken, you’ll have to go to Queensland,” he said.

Adam Cowen, who has worked at Myuna for 17 years, said if he lost his job he’d probably have to sell his house.

“(If it shut down) it’s me moving out of the area, taking fly-in-fly-out work, or relocating. I’ve just had a grandson – so I miss out on seeing a lot of that,” he said.

“I have to think about whether to keep my house or put it on the market so I don’t have to deal with a mortgage … it’d pretty much force me to sell”.

An Origin spokeswoman said they were unable to comment on negotiations with Centennial Coal while they were ongoing.

She said Origin sources coal for Eraring “at competitive market prices from a number of other local NSW suppliers, supporting many local jobs, and our ability to do so is important to the security and affordability of electricity supply for households and businesses in the state”.

Joseph Price and his daughter Willow (9). He is one of 1000 workers whose jobs are at risk with Origin not committing to renewing its contracts with Centennial Coal. Picture: Richard Dobson

It’s understood Centennial supplies less than 20 per cent of coal used at Eraring, with Origin considering buying cheaper coal elsewhere.

The NSW Minerals Council has previously slammed the coal price cap — introduced by the NSW government in 2022 when Matt Kean was treasurer in a bid to keep energy prices down and due to expire in July — which it said had allowed Origin to stockpile coal during the negotiation process.

Hunter MP Dan Repacholi – who holds the seat with a thin four per cent margin and staked his election on sticking up for coal miners – stopped short of throwing his support behind those whose jobs were at stake, saying he was “limited in what I can say”.

“I am working with my state and federal colleagues and the unions to get the best outcome for everyone involved,” he said.

Natural Resources Minister Courtney Houssos said coal mining “directly employs more than 24,000 people” and “will continue to be an important economic driver for years to come”.

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