Ashton Coal Mine (Underground)

Ashton Coal Mine (Underground) is a facility operated by ASHTON COAL OPERATIONS PTY LIMITED in NSW. Like all covered facilities, industrial operations generate significant emissions. Under Australia's Safeguard Mechanism, Ashton Coal Mine (Underground) must keep its annual emissions below a stepping-down baseline — or purchase carbon credits to cover any overage.

In 2024–25, Ashton Coal Mine (Underground) reported emissions of 683 kt against a baseline obligation of 194 kt — an overage of 489 kt. The facility covered the 489 kt overage by purchasing 488,671 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) — credits generated by carbon abatement projects elsewhere in Australia such as soil carbon farming, avoided land clearing, and landfill gas capture.

Purchasing credits is legal and intended by the Safeguard Mechanism's design — the policy deliberately allows facilities to choose between cutting on-site emissions or funding abatement elsewhere in the economy. Whether credit purchases represent genuine long-term decarbonisation depends on whether the facility's absolute emissions are trending down over time. The chart above shows the trajectory since reporting began. This question applies to all covered facilities under the Safeguard Mechanism, not Ashton Coal Mine (Underground) specifically.

Among 8 comparable facilities, 8 reported emissions above their baseline in 2024–25. The table below compares Ashton Coal Mine (Underground) with other facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism in the same classification.