Zero emission commitments chokes out coal industry in NSW: report

2041 may see the last coal job in NSW sputter out.

Zero emission commitments from three of its top three marketer – Japan, South Korea and China – may see the last of the coal industry in NSW, Australia in a recent report by the government.

The report predicted three scenarios. The first is the disappearance of coal jobs entirely in NSW by 2041. The second foresaw a decline to 5,000 jobs from 22,000 by 2047 or, in the most optimistic case, 10,000.

The prediction comes on the back of recent zero emission commitments of Japan, South Korea and China, NSW’s largest importers of thermal coal, by either 2050 or in the case of China, 2060.

The paper said that this does not necessarily mean that no coal will be used in the future – new coal generators continue to be built and net zero policies allow for offsets. Nonetheless, future coal production is now expected to be considerably weaker than was forecast for the 2016 IGR