Mount Pleasant Coal Mine

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Mount Pleasant Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Mount Pleasant Coal Mine Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia -32.25591661, 150.8499847 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Opening Year Closing Year
Operating – 2018 2048 (planned)[1]

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.
Capacity (Mtpa) Production (Mtpa) Year of Production Mine Type Mining Method Mine Size (km2) Mine Depth (m) Workforce Size
21[2] 11.4[2] 2024[2] Surface Open Pit 28 60* 400[2]

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
623[3] 2019[3] 1423 Hunter Bituminous Thermal Terminal (Export)

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Note: To access more comprehensive data on energy ownership, please visit the Global Energy Ownership Tracker.
Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Mach Energy [100.0%] Integrated Energy Services Corporation USA

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

ROM or Saleable 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
ROM – 0.15[4] 5.97[5] 8.54[5] 10.07[6] 9.99[6] 10.5[6] 11.4[2] –


Expansion/Extension

Table 7: Project status

* Added capacity of a coal mine refers to the enhancement in the mine's production capabilities beyond its initial production capacity.
Status Status Detail Project Type Project Phase Added Capacity (Mtpa)* Start Year
Proposed Permitted[7] Expansion – 4.8 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
– – – ​ –
2.607785714285714 216.4462143 2024-25 ​[8] 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
– – – ​ –
2.608 216.446 2024-25 ​[8] 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 Mount Pleasant coal mine is operated by Mach Energy Australia, near Muswellbrook, in the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia.[9] The former owner Caol & Allied previously stated that "the proposed mine would produce up to 10.5 million tonnes of thermal coal for international markets. The deposit holds 459 million tonnes of thermal coal. Coal & Allied obtained authority over the Mount Pleasant resource in 1992. Exploration, mining studies and an environmental impact statement (EIS) were completed in 1997 with development consent granted in 1999. In November 2006 Coal & Allied announced the commencement of a feasibility study into Mount Pleasant's potential development, and in 2007 a shopfront was opened at 19 Bridge Street Muswellbrook for engagement with the community."[10]

The company states that the proposed mine would be an open cut project and employ "approximately 340 employees". Coal from the proposed mine would be transportated 115km to the Port Waratah Coal Terminal in Newcastle "to be shipped to international customers". The company also states that the deposit "has reserves of 459 million tonnes."[10]

The mine is currently ramping up production to 10.5 million tonnes per annum. Mach Energy is currently investigating the Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project to increase production to 21 million tonnes, doubling the productive capacity of the mine. An Environment Impact Statement is currently in progress.[11][12]

As for the projects planned expansion, the Optimisation Project was approved with conditions by the Independent Planning Commission on 6th September 2022.[13]

In July 2025, the New South Wales Court of Appeal overturned the approval for MACH Energy’s proposed Mount Pleasant coal mine expansion near Muswellbrook, finding that the planning authority failed to properly assess the project’s climate change impacts, particularly downstream (“scope 3”) emissions, effectively halting the extension that would have extended operations to 2048 and added significant greenhouse gas emissions.[14]

  • Sponsor:
  • Parent Company: Mach Energy Australia[9]
  • Location: Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia
  • GPS Coordinates: -32.25591661, 150.8499847 (exact)
  • Status: operating
  • Capacity: 10.5 million tonnes[12]
  • Production: 7.4 million tonnes (2021); 6.10 million tonnes (2020)[15]; 5.97 million tonnes (2019)[16]
  • Total Resource:
  • Mineable Reserves: 459 MT[10]
  • Coal Type:Bituminous[9]
  • Mine Type: Surface[12]
  • Mining Method: Opencut[12]
  • Mine Size: 28 km2[9]
  • Mine Depth:220 m[9]
  • Start Year:2018[9]
  • Number of employees: 340[9]
  • Source of Financing:

Expansion Details

  • Prodctuion:6.5 million tonnes per annum (17 million tonnes per annum total)[17]
  • Start Year: TBD[11]
  • Status: Proposed[12]
  • Number of employees: 220[9]

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

  1. ↑ https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/mount-pleasant-optimisation-project. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20260707054137/https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/parliamentary-business/research-and-library/research-publications-data. Archived from the original (PDF) on 07 July 2026. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 (PDF) https://minedocs.com/25/Mount_Pleasant-Scoping-Report-122019.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ (PDF) https://machenergyaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Mount-Pleasant-Operation-2019-Annual-Review-Annual-Rehabilitation-Report.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 (PDF) https://machenergyaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Mount-Pleasant-Operation-2020-Annual-Review-Rehabilitation-Report.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 (PDF) https://machenergyaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Mount-Pleasant-Operation-2022-Annual-Review-Rehabilitation-Report-FINAL.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/annual-coal-statistics/resource/d22a8d8b-7c00-42d2-884a-c438d51cefc3. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://cer.gov.au/document/baselines-and-emissions-table-2024-25-0. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Mount Pleasant, Operations, Company Website, accessed August 2020
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Coal & Allied, "Mount Pleasant Project", Coal & Allied website, accessed July 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 New South Wales, Department of Planning, Industry, and Environment, Major Projects, Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 NS Energy, Mount Pleasant Coal Mine, accessed August 2020
  13. ↑ Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project, MachEnergy, accessed March 2023
  14. ↑ "Climate change concerns lead court to overturn Mount Pleasant coal mine expansion," LSJ Online, July 25, 2025
  15. ↑ Mt Pleasant Coal, Annual Review 2020, 2021
  16. ↑ Mount Pleasant, Mining Data Solutions, accessed December 2021
  17. ↑ Mach sets up expansion at Mount Pleasant, Australian Mining, Feb 2021