The State Government of Western Australia has agreed to extend a State Agreement and a subsidy to Griffin Coal, a private company that owns and operate the Ewington Mine in the Collie Basin by 5 years until 2031 (Western Australia Government press release, 21/01/2026). Griffin Coal mines around 2.9 Mt/year, supplying most notably the Bluewaters coal-fired plant (434 MW) as well as industrial customers. Bluewaters is controlled by a consortium of Japanese companies Kansai Electric and Sumitomo Corporation.
Since 2022, Western Australia has provided AUD308m (USD209m) in support to Griffin Coal. According to the state government, coal-fired generation underpins energy security and affordability, while the region is building new transmission lines to connect wind and solar to the grid.
At the end of 2024, Australia had 22.6 GW of coal-fired capacity, accounting for a fifth of the country’s capacity mix. Coal represented around half of total generation (46% in 2024).
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