NSW coalmine given two-year extension despite climate agency warning it jeopardises legislated emissions target

Delta Electricity’s Chain Valley project is the first coalmine development considered by the planning commission since the state enshrined net zero emissions by 2050 in law Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast An underground coalmine has been given the green light to dig for a further two years, with the New South Wales planning commission arguing it’s needed to guarantee electricity supply as the state transitions to renewables. The NSW Greens have warned the move could be challenged in court after the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) gave the green light to Delta Electricity’s extension of its Chain Valley colliery operations, in the Lake Macquarie region, for two years. But it explicitly prohibited transport of the coal for export or any other domestic use beyond supplying coal to the Vales Point power station. The commission said the approval was justified because it would support “reliable baseload electricity during NSW’s transition to renewable energy sources”. In its published statement of reasons, it said the two-year extension “represents the outer limit of what can reasonably be justified