Ashton Coal Mine
| This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor. |
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Ashton Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Ashton Coal Mine | Singleton, New South Wales, Australia | -32.468942, 151.078493 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | – | 2004 | 2035 (planned)[1] |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.45[2] | 2.555[2] | 2024[2] | Underground[2] | Longwall[2] | 18.33[2] | 200 | 315[3] |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18[4] | 2024[4] | 268 | Hunter | Bituminous | Met[3] | Terminal (Export) |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Ashton Coal Operations [100.0%] | Yankuang Energy | Australia, China |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM[5] | – | 1.95[6] | 2.04[7] | 3.38[7] | 2.6[8] | 2.09[8] | 0.7[5] | 2.56[2] | – |
Expansion/Extension
Table 7: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Project Type | Project Phase | Added Capacity (Mtpa)* | Start Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancelled[9] | Permitted | Expansion | – | 3.6[10] | 2026 |
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 8: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | | – |
| 23.82817857142857 | 1977.738821 | 2024-25 | [11] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 8: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | | – |
| 23.828 | 1977.739 | 2024-25 | [11] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The Ashton coal mine is an existing underground and open-cut coal mine owned by China-based Yancoal. It is located less than a kilometre away from the village of Camberwell, 14 km northwest of Singleton in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia.[12] In 2009, Yancoal completed the successful takeover of Felix Resources, which proposed the mine.[13]
In February 2016, Yancoal announced a new debt funding arrangement to secure up to US$950 million via the issuing of nine-year secured debt bonds by a newly established Yancoal subsidiary, Watagan Mining Company, to a consortium of financiers comprising Industrial Bank Co., BOCI Financial Products Limited and United NSW Energy Limited. From March 2016, Yancoal ceased to control the Ashton mine as well as the Austar and Donaldson assets, but remains the exclusive provider of mine management, marketing, infrastructure and other corporate support services under 10-year contracts.[14]
Coal from Ashton Mine is exported via the Port of Newcastle.[15]
Mine Extension Project
In 2010, Yancoal proposed an extension project for an open-cut mine called Ashton South East — an $83m project to extract 16.5m tonnes of coal over seven years.[14]
An initial objection on grounds of air and water pollution was overturned on appeal in 2012, and the expansion was given the go-ahead by the New South Wales state government’s planning assessment commission.[12]
In 2015, the project was approved for a seven-year extension, however, the New South Wales Court of Appeal decided to uphold a condition attached to the Ashton South East Open Cut Project Approval granted by the NSW Land and Environment Court on 27 August 2014. The condition provided that no development work associated with the project could occur until Ashton Coal Operations had acquired a privately owned property which forms part of the proposed mining area.[14] This privately-owned property belonged to a local land owner — Mrs. Wendy Bowman — who refused to sell.[12] As a result of Mrs. Bowman refusing to sell, and the approval lapsing in April 2022, the Ashton South East open-cut coal mine extension has been cancelled.[16]
The owner has no intention of selling to the coal company.[12]
Wendy Bowman, who was awarded the Goldman environmental prize in 2017, lives on a farm which lies over more than half of the proposed surface mine. She refuses to sell her land for any price. Her principal objection to the proposed mine expansion is that it would risk polluting Glennies Creek, an important tributary of the Hunter River and a water source for most of the farms in the area.[12]
- Operator: Ashton Coal Operations
- Owner: Yancoal Australia[14]
- Location: Less than a kilometre away from the village of Camberwell, 14 km northwest of Singleton, New South Wales, Australia
- GPS Coordinates: -32.468942, 151.078493 (exact)
- Status: Operating[14]
- Production: 2.1 million tonnes per annum (2022)[17]
- Total Resource: 268 million tonnes (2022)[18]
- Mineable Reserves: 21 million tonnes (2022)[18]
- Coal Type: Semi-soft coking coal (Thermal)[19]
- Mine Size:
- Mine Type: Underground (longwall) & open-cut[20]
- Start Year: 2004 [21]
- Source of Financing:
Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources
Global Energy Monitor researchers have identified coal mine boundary/boundaries and potential sources of coal mine methane (CMM) for this mine. These research results can be used to drive CMM attribution and mitigation efforts, particularly when combined with remotely sensed methane plume locations and mine ownership data. Explore the results with the embedded map at the top of this page by clicking on the mine boundary polygon or the CMM placemarkers to reveal more details. A detailed description of this research can be found in Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources. This data is also available as a downloadable companion dataset to the Global Coal Mine Tracker and the Global Methane Emitters Tracker.
Table SMP1: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data
| ID | Mine feature category | Mine feature subcategory | Description | Coordinates precision | Data source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0007.B1 | mine boundary | underground and surface | Ashton underground coal mine and the northeast open cut. | extracted | 2024-02-01 00:00:00 |
| M0007.B2 | mine boundary | underground and surface | Ravensworth underground mine integration | extracted | 2024-02-01 00:00:00 |
| M0007.B3 | mine boundary | surface | Ashton and Ravensworth tailings dam | extracted | 2024-02-01 00:00:00 |
| M0007.P1 | other | preparation plant | coal handling and preparation plant | extracted | 3/2024 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P2 | other | dewatering station | dewatering borehole approx | extracted | 12/2020 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P3 | other | dewatering station | dewatering borehole approx | extracted | 12/2020 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P4 | degasification system | flare | flares | extracted | 2023-05-01 00:00:00 |
| M0007.P5 | degasification system | drainage station | gas drainage station | extracted | 3/2024 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P6 | degasification system | gas well | gas well | extracted | 3/2024 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P7 | degasification system | gas well | gas well | extracted | 3/2024 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P8 | degasification system | gas well | gas well | extracted | 3/2024 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P9 | degasification system | gas well | approximate location of gas well | extracted | 3/2024 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P10 | degasification system | gas well | approximate location of gas well | extracted | 3/2024 and 5/2023 |
| M0007.P11 | other | slope access or production shaft | possible mine production shaft | extracted | 2023-05-01 00:00:00 |
| M0007.P12 | other | slope access or production shaft | possible mine production shaft | extracted | 2023-05-01 00:00:00 |
| M0007.P13 | ventilation system | shaft | ventilaton shaft | extracted | 2023-05-01 00:00:00 |
Table SMP2: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data (continued)
| ID | Notes |
|---|---|
| M0007.B1 | Based on section 2.1 figure 2.1 on page 3, and table 3.1 on page 5, of the Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, Ashton Coal Project is comprised of the following components: (1) a decomissioned north-east open cut (NEOC) used for coarse reject storage and coal fines, north of the A15 New England Highway, in mining leases ML1529 and ML1533; (2) the Ashton undeground mine, south of the A15 New England Highway, in mining lease ML1533; (3) a coal handling and preparation plant and rail loadout, north of the A15 New England Highway in mining ML1533; (4) integration with part of the Ravensworth underground mine, owned by Glencore, in mining leases ML1834, ML1835, ML1836 and ML1837; (5) the south east open cut in mining lease ML1696 (mining here prevented by Wendy Bowman not selling her land to Yancoal).
This boundary component is comprised of the Ashton underground coal mine and the northeast open cut covered by mining leases ML1529, ML1533 and ML1623. Mining lease polygons were extracted from the Geological Survey NSW GeoServer web feature service https://web.archive.org/web/20250427032655/https://www.resources.nsw.gov.au/geological-survey/products-and-data/gis-web-services. The area of this boundary is 9 sq km. |
| M0007.B2 | Based on section 2.1 figure 2.1 on page 3, and table 3.1 on page 5, of the Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, Ashton Coal Project is comprised of the following components: (1) a decomissioned north-east open cut (NEOC) used for coarse reject storage and coal fines, north of the A15 New England Highway, in mining leases ML1529 and ML1533; (2) the Ashton undeground mine, south of the A15 New England Highway, in mining lease ML1533; (3) a coal handling and preparation plant and rail loadout, north of the A15 New England Highway in mining ML1533; (4) integration with part of the Ravensworth underground mine, owned by Glencore, in mining leases ML1834, ML1835, ML1836 and ML1837; (5) the south east open cut in mining lease ML1696 (mining here prevented by Wendy Bowman not selling her land to Yancoal).
This boundary component is comprised of the Ravensworth integration. It's broken out separately because of potential part ownership with Glencore that owns Ravensworth. The boundary is covered by mining leases ML1834, ML1835, ML1836 and ML1837. Mining lease polygons were extracted from the Geological Survey NSW GeoServer web feature service https://web.archive.org/web/20250427032655/https://www.resources.nsw.gov.au/geological-survey/products-and-data/gis-web-services. The area of this boundary is 4 sq km. |
| M0007.B3 | Based on section 2.1 figure 2.1 on page 3, and table 3.1 on page 5, of the Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, Ashton Coal Project is comprised of the following components: (1) a decomissioned north-east open cut (NEOC) used for coarse reject storage and coal fines, north of the A15 New England Highway, in mining leases ML1529 and ML1533; (2) the Ashton undeground mine, south of the A15 New England Highway, in mining lease ML1533; (3) a coal handling and preparation plant and rail loadout, north of the A15 New England Highway in mining ML1533; (4) integration with part of the Ravensworth underground mine, owned by Glencore, in mining leases ML1834, ML1835, ML1836 and ML1837; (5) the south east open cut in mining lease ML1696 (mining here prevented by Wendy Bowman not selling her land to Yancoal).
This boundary component is comprised of a tailings dam shown in the Ashton-Ravensworth Underground Mine Integration APPENDIX F Ashton Water Management Plan, from 12/2020, page Figure 1 Site Location and Locality https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/340561_appendix-f-ashton-water-management-plan.pdf, and is covered by mining lease ML1861. Mining lease polygons were extracted from the Geological Survey NSW GeoServer web feature service https://web.archive.org/web/20250427032655/https://www.resources.nsw.gov.au/geological-survey/products-and-data/gis-web-services. The area of this dam is approx 0.5 sq km. |
| M0007.P1 | Based on figure 2.1 on page 3 of Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery |
| M0007.P2 | Located extracted from figure 2 Mine Layout Area on page 2 of Ashton-Ravensworth Underground Mine Integration APPENDIX F Ashton Water Management Plan, from 12/2020, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/340561_appendix-f-ashton-water-management-plan.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery |
| M0007.P3 | Located extracted from figure 2 Mine Layout Area on page 2 of Ashton-Ravensworth Underground Mine Integration APPENDIX F Ashton Water Management Plan, from 12/2020, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/340561_appendix-f-ashton-water-management-plan.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery |
| M0007.P4 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P5 | Location estimated based on gas drainage pipelines in figure 8.1 on pg 66 of Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, and Google Earth satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P6 | Extracted from figure 4.1 MINING OPERATIONS on pg 8 of Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P7 | Extracted from figure 4.1 MINING OPERATIONS on pg 8 of Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P8 | Extracted from figure 4.1 MINING OPERATIONS on pg 8 of Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P9 | Extracted from figure 4.1 MINING OPERATIONS on pg 8 of Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P10 | Extracted from figure 4.1 MINING OPERATIONS on pg 8 of Ashton Coal/Yancoal Annual Review for Ashton Coal Project for 2023, published in March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ashton-Annual-Review_March-2024.pdf, and verified with Google Earth satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P11 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P12 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
| M0007.P13 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
Associated Coal Mine Methane Mitigation Projects
Some coal mines have installed infrastructure which can use and/or destroy some methane emissions associated with mining. In 2024, the Global Methane Initiative reported that this mine had a mitigation project associated with it. This methodology page describes how GEM classified these projects and linked them with coal mines in the Global Coal Mine Tracker.
Table MM1: Methane mitigation projects
| Mitigation Project Name | Project Type | GMI Reported Status | GMI Reported Start Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Coal Flaring - Australia | Flaring | Operational | 2013 |
Methane Plumes Detected Nearby
Global Energy Monitor researchers analyze satellite-detected methane plumes in order to determine whether they have been observed at or near the site of GEM energy assets. The satellite data provider creates imagery of individual methane plumes and estimates their emission rates at the time of observation. GEM has reviewed many of these plume detections against Google Earth imagery and GEM’s own energy infrastructure tracker data. The following table lists methane plumes which are associated with the energy asset or facility based on distance and manual review. (A full description of the analysis process is available in the Global Methane Emitters Tracker methodology wiki page.)
Table M1: Plume details
| Observation date | Satellite data provider | Location of plume origin | Methane emissions rate | Additional plume information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-25T00:47:44+00 | CarbonMapper, emi20230125t004744p16006-A | -32.4687, 151.0742[22] | –[22] | New South Wales State Methane Observation 2023-01-25, 1 |
| 2024-04-15T00:42:26+00 | CarbonMapper, 2d5cb200-251f-4f08-b232-9fa4185bc6d9 | -32.4706, 151.0753[23] | 849.0 kg/hr[23] | New South Wales State Methane Observation 2024-04-15, 4 |
| 2024-09-20T00:38:51+00 | CarbonMapper, 24a10699-cc91-4cf7-82d5-4e2ee1617975 | -32.4706, 151.0753[23] | 1158.0 kg/hr[23] | New South Wales State Methane Observation 2024-09-20, 3 |
| 2025-01-21T00:20:06+00 | CarbonMapper, tan20250121t002006c00s4001-A | -32.4708, 151.0747[22] | 808.894 kg/hr[22] | New South Wales State Methane Observation 2025-01-21, 2 |
| 2025-02-13T00:27:06+00 | CarbonMapper, tan20250213t002706c00s4001-A | -32.4712, 151.0747[22] | 2116.245 kg/hr[22] | New South Wales State Methane Observation 2025-02-13, 1 |
| 2025-06-19T00:42:33+00 | CarbonMapper, tan20250619t004233c59s4001-A | -32.471, 151.0747[22] | 954.5205 kg/hr[22] | New South Wales State Methane Observation 2025-06-19, 1 |
| 2025-06-26T00:43:42+00 | CarbonMapper, tan20250626t004342c59s4001-C | -32.4704, 151.0751[22] | –[22] | New South Wales State Methane Observation 2025-06-26, 1 |
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20260114003338/https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/Coal-mining-in-NSW-key-statistics.xlsx. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 (PDF) https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/73730c-Ashton-Annual-Review-Appendices_March-2025_Final-High-Res.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 (PDF) https://www.yancoal.com.au/content/Document/230426_ESG%20Report_Design%20Format_FINAL.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 (PDF) https://company-announcements.afr.com/asx/yal/7836acc7-ef67-11ef-b9a4-9a8239d49a91.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240613211315/https://www.yancoal.com.au/content/Media/e101_Annual%2520Reprot%25202023.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.ashtoncoal.com.au/icms_docs/318443_2019-annual-review.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 (PDF) https://www.ashtoncoal.com.au/icms_docs/325359_2020-annual-review-report.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 (PDF) https://www.ashtoncoal.com.au/icms_docs/339038_2022-ashton-coal-independent-environmental-audit.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.yancoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jul-2015-presentation-1.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.kleinfelder.com.au/project/south-east-open-cut-project/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://cer.gov.au/document/baselines-and-emissions-table-2024-25-0.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Elle Hunt, "Honour for environmental activist farmer, 83, surrounded by mines on three sides", Guardian website, 24 April 2017.
- ↑ Yancoal, "History", Yancoal website, accessed 14 November 2019.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Yancoal, "Ashton", Yancoal website, accessed 14 November 2019.
- ↑ Yancoal, "About", Ashton Coal Project website, accessed 14 November 2019.
- ↑ "Ashton Coal Mine dead after Wendy Bowman refused to sell", ABC Newcastle News, 22 April 2022.
- ↑ Full Year Financial Result 2022, page 43, Yancoal, 27 Feb. 2023.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Yancoal, Coal Resources and Coal Reserves statement for year ending 31 December 2022, Yancoal, page 3, accessed 27 Feb. 2023.
- ↑ Yancoal, "Annual Report 2018", Yancoal, page 33, accessed 14 November 2019.
- ↑ "About", Ashton Coal website, accessed March 2023.
- ↑ "Annual Review: Ashton Coal Project: 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2019," "Yancoal," March 2020.
- ↑ 22.00 22.01 22.02 22.03 22.04 22.05 22.06 22.07 22.08 22.09 url=https://data.carbonmapper.org/
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 url=https://methanedata.unep.org/
