1 day Ago By Matthew Kelly
A surge in ship loading in late 2024 saw Port Waratah Coal Service export just over 100 million tonnes of coal last year. Login or signup to continue reading The figure, which topped the previous year by five million tonnes, is just short of the company's record of 111.3 million tonnes, set in 2021.
The International Energy Agency has predicted demand for Australian coal from South East Asia will remain high for the next few years . "The best indication for us of what to expect is the longer-term contracts we have with the producers in the valley," PWCS chief executive Hennie Du Plooy said. "That suggests we can expect this level of throughput for the foreseeable future.
Our contracts go out for five years, so for that period we expect to be on or above the 100 million tonne mark." Total coal exports through the Port of Newcastle for 2024, which include Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group exports, will be available in coming weeks. The final figure is expected to exceed 150 million for the first time in recent years.
Half of the coal exported through PWCS last year went to Japan, while about 30 per cent went to China. Other markets, including South Korea and Taiwan, remained stable. The ongoing demand for Australian coal is occurring at the same time as countries including Japan and South Korea are actively engaged with the Port of Newcastle on the development of its clean energy precinct .
"There is clearly a transition happening and different areas are further and less advanced than others," Mr Du Plooy said. "Some countries, such as Japan, are very well advanced and they are doing a lot of work to resume the operations of their nuclear fleet. "In growing countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam there is such a growth in demand for energy that they need all the sources they can get.
They are building a lot of renewables but they still need coal and gas otherwise they can't support the growth they are experiencing." Coal continues to represent the Hunter's largest and Australia's second-largest commodity export earner after iron ore, accounting for an expected $75 billion of exports this financial year. While some Hunter mines, such as Mt Arthur , are progressing with closure plans, others, such as Hunter Valley Operations , are pursuing extensions well into the 2040s.
The federal government approved MACH Energy's Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project and Ashton Coal Operations' Ravensworth Underground Mine in September. Whitehaven Coal's Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project was also approved. Lock the Gate estimated the three projects would lock in about 1.
5 billion tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions - more than three times Australia's total annual emissions. Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018.
In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues. Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years.
He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
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