United Coal Mine

United Coal Mine is a coal mining facility operated by UNITED COLLIERIES PTY LTD in NSW. Like all covered facilities, underground and open-cut coal operations emit methane and energy-related CO₂. Under Australia's Safeguard Mechanism, United Coal Mine must keep its annual emissions below a stepping-down baseline — or purchase carbon credits to cover any overage.

In 2023–24, United Coal Mine reported emissions of 433 kt against a baseline obligation of 190 kt — an overage of 243 kt. The facility covered the overage through a combination of ACCUs and SMCs.

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 United Coal Mine specifically.

Across the coal mining sector, 8 of 8 covered facilities reported emissions above their baseline in 2023–24. The table below compares United Coal Mine with other coal mining facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism.