Australia’s Queensland state government has approved a 21-year life extension of the state-owned 7.6 Mt/year Meandu thermal coal mine, which exclusively supplies the 1.8 GW Tarong coal power stations (Queensland Government press release, 08/06/2026). The extension is expected to secure up to 200 Mt of coal to the state as the Tarong power stations supply 20% of the state’s power.
The lease of the coal mine was set to expire in 2023 but has gotten a 21-year extension to be operational until 2044. 60% of Queensland’s energy is supplied by coal and, according to the state government, “coal will continue to play a key role in the state’s energy mix for decades.”
This extension rolls back the pledge made by the previous administration to phase out coal in state-owned plants by 2035 and operate state-owned coal plants as clean energy hubs by 2027. By 2038, all coal power-generation capacity in the state was expected to close. As of 2026, Australia’s coal capacity represents 20% of its total installed capacity (Enerdata’s Global Energy Research).
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