Australian Government Approves First New Coal Mine Since Elected

The Australian government has approved a new coal mine for the first time since it was elected.

The government was bound by national environment laws when considering Central Queensland’s Isaac River coal mine, a spokeswoman said.

Only one coal mine proposal has ever been blocked under those laws.

The Isaac River coal mine – which will be built near Moranbah, an 11-hour drive north of Brisbane – is expected to produce about 2.5 million tonnes of coal over five years.

The mine will extract metallurgical coal, also known as coking coal, which is used in steelmaking.

Although a small mine compared to others in the state, its production could amount to some 7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in its lifetime, think tank the Australia Institute says.