Submission: Hail Creek open-cut coalmine extension

13 February 2026

To: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Re: Hail Creek Open Cut (HCOC) – Eastern Margin Extension

Thank you for the opportunity for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) to provide input to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s consultation on the Hail Creek Open Cut (HCOC) – Eastern Margin Extension.

IEEFA is an independent energy finance think tank that examines issues related to energy markets, trends and policies. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy.

Key points for consideration include:

1. Hail Creek mine is the highest emitting open-cut coalmine and ranks among the top emitting coalmines in Australia.
2. Its plans to expand and extend mining operations to 2038 offer little concrete emissions abatement, despite the fact Hail Creek appears well suited to methane pre-drainage and capture.
3. Without direct abatement, the mine is projected to surrender carbon credits (ACCUs or SMCs) for 5.2 million tonnes of GHG emissions in the 10 years to 2035, and 6.4 million tonnes in total, to meet its Safeguard Mechanism obligations.
4. If the Queensland government lowers its ambition for real emissions reductions on projects such as this, it hands the burden of emissions liability to the federal government and the wider economy.

Our response to the consultation can be found on the following pages. 

Kind regards,

Andrew Gorringe, Energy Finance Analyst, Australian Coal