Effects of Land Use on Coal Resources Report Prepared by a Working Party of the Coal Resource Development Committee

Abstract

This study found that, although New South Wales has very large resources of coal, about half of the coal is already affected by other land uses, particularly National Parks and prime agricultural land. Furthermore, much of the remaining coal resource is of less than economic quality. Coal prices have been declining in real terms for at least 15 years. It is most unlikely that there will be a sustained real increase in price in the medium term. Therefore, coal resources which are clearly uneconomic at present are likely to remain so, even in the medium to long term.