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- 17th August 2026
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Submission to the NSW Independent Planning Commission Panel
HVO North and South Open Cut Coal Continuation Projects
(SSD-11826681 & SSD-11826621)
a. the Projects will generate a net economic benefit to NSW that is significantly less than what has been represented by HVO Operations Pty Ltd (the Proponent);
b. the Projects will materially impede the achievement of NSW's legislated emissions reduction targets;
c. the Proponent's proposed emissions reduction strategy is uncertain and largely dependent on offsets and unproven technology; and
d. the Projects are consistent with over 2°C of warming, which will cause significant environmental and social impacts, in the locality and region.
a. report prepared by Mr Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026;
b. report prepared by Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026; and
c. report prepared by Dr Sophie Lewis dated 31 July 2026.
a. any environmental planning instruments that apply to the land to which the development applications relate;[^1]
b. the significant likely impacts of the developments, including environmental impacts on both the natural and built environments, and social and economic impacts in the locality;[^2]
c. any submissions made in accordance with the EPA Act or the associated regulations;[^3]
d. whether the proposed developments are in the public interest;[^4]
e. whether any consent should be issued subject to conditions aimed at ensuring that the development is undertaken in an environmentally responsible manner, including conditions to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions are minimised to the greatest extent practicable;[^5] and
f. an assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions (including downstream emissions) of the proposed developments, having regard to any applicable State or national policies, programs or guidelines concerning greenhouse gas emissions.[^6]
a. the promotion of the social and economic welfare of the community and a better environment by the proper management, development and conservation of the State natural and other resources;[^7]
b. the promotion of resilience to climate change and natural disasters through adaptation, mitigation, preparedness and prevention;[^8]
c. the facilitation of ecologically sustainable development by the integration of relevant economic, environmental and social considerations in decision-making about environmental planning and assessment;[^9]
d. the promotion of a proportionate and risk-based approach to environmental planning and assessment;[^10] and
e. the promotion of the orderly and economic use and development of land.[^11]
Figure 1

Source: ACCR analysis of NSW greenhouse gas emissions projections 2024: methods paper (Figure 1, 21, 24), HVO GHG Assessment.
Figure 2

ACCR analysis of the Projects' share of NSW annual emissions between 2027 and 2045 (green dotted line). Projected scope 1 and 2 emissions (in orange); linear projected NSW annual emissions based on legislated targets (in dark blue). Both HVO CP and NSW emission reductions have been rebased to 2027. Data sources: Australia's National Greenhouse Accounts (2026); EMM, Hunter Valley Operations (2025) Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project Amendment Report, Appendix E.
a. It is widely accepted that there is no proven technology available to effectively mitigate fugitive emissions from an open-cut coal mine. The Proponent has committed to undertaking a feasibility trial for the pre-drainage of gas in gas domain 3 of the Projects, but this technology remains experimental in nature and there is no guarantee of its success.[^49]
b. Based on the information available about the Projects, a final decision on whether pre-drainage will form part of the Proponent's mitigation strategy may not occur until around 2030. It would be inconsistent with EPA guidelines and priorities to delay the decision on pre-drainage by up to three years. If the Projects are approved and commence before any final decision regarding pre-drainage is made, there will be a risk as time passes that any pre-drainage could become ineffective and even commercially unviable if gas concentrations are too low.[^50]
c. The Proponent has not committed to meaningful diesel decarbonisation despite the EPA's guidance identifying this as a major opportunity for emissions reduction.[^51]
d. Even if methane emissions reduction is achieved, the Project is expected to facilitate approximately 780 Mt CO2-e of scope 3 emissions from coal combustion. This scale of downstream emissions is inconsistent with the State's stringent climate mitigation objectives and reduces the overall benefit of any methane reduction that is ultimately achieved.[^52]
[515] ... In aggregate, the Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions over the life of the [Rocky Hill Coal] Project will be at least 37.8Mt CO2-e, a sizeable individual source of GHG emissions. It matters not that this aggregate of the Project's GHG emissions may represent a small fraction of the global total of GHG emissions. The global problem of climate change needs to be addressed by multiple local actions to mitigate emissions by sources and remove GHGs by sinks...
[516] Many courts have recognised this point that climate change is caused by cumulative emissions from a myriad of individual sources, each proportionally small relative to the global total of GHG emissions and will be solved by abatement of the GHG emissions from these myriad of individual sources.
[545] There is also a logical flaw in the market substitution assumption. If a development will cause an environmental impact that is found to be unacceptable, the environmental impact does not become acceptable because a hypothetical and uncertain alternative development might also cause the same unacceptable environmental impact. The environmental impact remains unacceptable regardless of where it is caused. The potential for a hypothetical but uncertain alternative development to cause the same unacceptable environmental impact is not a reason to approve a definite development that will certainly cause the unacceptable environmental impacts. In this case, the potential that if the [Rocky Hill Coal] Project were not to be approved and therefore not cause the unacceptable GHG emissions and climate change impacts, some other coal mine would do so, is not a reason for approving the Project and its unacceptable GHG emissions and climate change impacts.
a. The Hunter region bears several features that make it specifically vulnerable to climate change, and it includes one of the largest and most flood-prone floodplains in NSW.[^55]
b. If global temperatures increase by 2°C by 2050, the Hunter region will likely experience at that time:
i. a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of heat extremes, including seven more days each year where maximum temperatures exceed 35°C, compared to the 1990-2009 average;
ii. considerable changes in rainfall, including an overall decrease in average rainfall by 9% and an increase in the intensity of heavy rainfall events;
iii. increased exposure to sea level rise of between 14 and 31 centimetres, and associated hazards including coastal erosion, estuarine inundation and coastal overwash; and
iv. increased severe fire weather days.[^56]
c. These climate hazards will compound and cascade, dramatically increasing various social, economic and public health-related risks in the Hunter region. Cascading impacts that will likely be felt by the local population include increasing heat-related illness and mortality, disruption to the agricultural industry, reduced productivity in industries that rely on outdoor workers, and infrastructure-related hazards.[^57]
Download Submission: HVO North and South Open Cut Coal Continuation Projects
Annexure A: Report of Mr Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026
Annexure B: Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026
Annexure C: Report of Dr Sophie Lewis dated 31 July 2026
See: emissions reduction targets in s 9(1) of the Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Act 2023 (NSW); Net Zero Commission, Coal Mining Emissions Spotlight Report (December 2025) p. 37; https://www.netzerocommission.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-12/NZC_Coal_Spotlight_Report_2025.pdf Net Zero Commission, Letter to Independent Planning Commission (26 September 2025) p. 2; https://www.netzerocommission.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-10/NZC-2025-Letter-to-Independent-Planning-Commission.pdf Penny Sharpe MLC, Letter to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces (20 May 2024). https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=RFI-75053457!20240822T212408.030+GMT ↩︎
Report of Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026, [25]-[26]. ↩︎
Ernst & Young, Economic Impact of the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project HV Operations Pty Ltd (4 August 2025), pp. 3, 46. https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20250807T013252.255+GMT ↩︎
NSW Government, Guidelines for the Economic Assessment of Mining and Coal Seam Gas Proposals (December 2015); https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/guidelines-for-the-economic-assessment-of-mining-and-coal-seam-gas-proposals.pdf NSW Government, Technical Notes Supporting Guidelines for the Economic Assessment of Mining and Coal Seam Gas Proposals (April 2018); https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/technical-notes-supporting-guidelines-economic-assessment-mining-coal-seam-gas-proposals.pdf NSW Treasury, TPP17-03 Guide to Cost-Benefit Analysis (March 2017). https://arp.nsw.gov.au/assets/ars/393b65f5e9/TPP17-03_NSW_Government_Guide_to_Cost-Benefit_Analysis_0.pdf ↩︎
NSW Treasury, TPG24-34 Carbon Emissions in the Investment Framework (December 2024); https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/noindex/2025-03/tpg24-34-carbon-emissions-in-the-investment-framework.pdf NSW Treasury, TPG23-08 NSW Government Guide to Cost-Benefit Analysis (February 2023, updated in April 2025). https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/noindex/2025-03/tpg23-08-nsw-government-guide-to-cost-benefit-analysis.pdf ↩︎
NSW Treasury, TPG24-34 Carbon Emissions in the Investment Framework (December 2024) p. 8. https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/noindex/2025-03/tpg24-34-carbon-emissions-in-the-investment-framework.pdf ↩︎
Ibid, p. 4. ↩︎
NSW Independent Planning Commission, Transcript of Public Hearing (Day 1): HVO North and South Open Cut Coal Continuation Projects (16 July 2026), 20.40-21.29. ↩︎
Report of Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026, [7]-[10]. ↩︎
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project. State Significant Development Assessment Report (SSD11826681 and SSD11826621) (June 2026), [480]. https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20260612T010800.494+GMT ↩︎
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project. State Significant Development Assessment Report (SSD11826681 and SSD11826621) (June 2026), [478]-[480], [490]-[491]. https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20260612T010800.494+GMT ↩︎
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project. State Significant Development Assessment Report (SSD11826681 and SSD11826621) (June 2026), [482]-[486]. https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20260612T010800.494+GMT ↩︎
Ibid, [497]-[498], [515]. ↩︎
Report of Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026, [19]-[27]. ↩︎
Report of Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026, [26]. ↩︎
Report of Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026, [25]. ↩︎
Report of Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026, [26]. ↩︎
Report of Pranav Dayal dated 5 August 2026, [27]. ↩︎
Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Act 2023 (NSW) s 9(1). ↩︎
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, NSW Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections 2025 Methods Paper (2026), pp. 5-8. https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-07/nsw-greenhouse-gas-emissions-projections-2025-260183.pdf ↩︎
Ibid, see Figures 1, 3 and 4. ↩︎
Net Zero Commission, 2026 Annual Progress Report (July 2026), p. 81. https://www.netzerocommission.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-07/Net-Zero-2026-Annual-Progress-Report.pdf ↩︎
Net Zero Commission, Annual Report 2024 (November 2024), pp. 18-21. https://www.netzerocommission.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-12/NZC 2024 Annual Report_V11.pdf ↩︎
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project. State Significant Development Assessment Report (SSD11826681 and SSD11826621) (June 2026), pp. 42-49; https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20260612T010800.494+GMT EMM Consulting Pty Ltd, Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project Amendment Report (August 2025), pp. 76-77. https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20250828T033257.503+GMT ↩︎
NSW Environment Protection Agency, NSW Guide for Large Emitters (January 2025), p. 36. https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/24p4574-nsw-guide-for-large-emitters.pdf ↩︎
NSW Independent Planning Commission, Transcript of Meeting with Net Zero Commission (24 July 2026), 7.39-41. ↩︎
NSW Independent Planning Commission, Transcript of Meeting with NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (14 July 2026), 19.1-14. ↩︎
Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026, [33]. ↩︎
Ibid. ↩︎
Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026, [34]-[37]. ↩︎
Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026, [38]. ↩︎
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project. State Significant Development Assessment Report (SSD11826681 and SSD11826621) (June 2026), pp. iii, 45-46. https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20260612T010800.494+GMT ↩︎
Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026, [6]-[13]. ↩︎
Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026, [12]. ↩︎
Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project: Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Assessment (9 November 2022) pp. 87-89. https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-11826681!20221219T093437.518+GMT ↩︎
Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026, [14]-[19]. ↩︎
Report of Dr Dimitri Lafleur dated 24 July 2026, [17]-[18]. ↩︎
Gloucester Resources Limited v Minister for Planning [2019] NSWLEC 7, [514]-[528]; [534]-[545] (Preston CJ). ↩︎
See Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group Inc v MACH Energy Australia Pty Ltd [2025] NSWCA 163, [107]-[108] (Ward P). ↩︎
EPA Act s 1.3(a). ↩︎
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