The Cost of Extending a Mine

Ember's analysis suggests that the Lake Vermont mine extension may underestimate its methane emissions by 2.2 to 2.5 times, potentially releasing up to 100 million tonnes of CO2-e by 2055. The report argues that the project lacks a credible emissions reduction pathway and poses a risk to Australia's Safeguard Mechanism and national climate targets.

• The Lake Vermont Meadowbrook Extension Project may be significantly underestimating its methane emissions. While the company's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) estimates emissions at 13 million tonnes of CO2-e (100 year GWP), Ember's analysis suggests emissions could be 2.2 to 2.5 times higher.
• Based on a methane intensity of 7 to 9 tonnes of methane per thousand tonnes of coal for underground operations, the mine's lifetime emissions could reach between 78 and 100 million tonnes of CO2-e using a 20-year Global Warming Potential (GWP), or 27 to 34 million tonnes of CO2-e using a 100-year GWP.
• The project lacks a credible emissions reduction plan for its 30+ year lifetime. Ember notes that while pre-drainage in the Bowen Basin could reduce open-cut emissions by over 5 million tonnes of CO2-e (20 year GWP), the mine has not made clear commitments to mitigation and only indicates that methane will be flared "where practicable".
• The extension poses a risk to the Australian Safeguard Mechanism and the 2030 and 2050 climate targets of both the Australian and Queensland governments. The mine operator estimates the extension will push emissions 1.4 times higher than the current baseline, but Ember suggests this is an underestimate that may force the mine to negotiate a higher baseline or rely on Australian Carbon Credit Units.

APA

Reynolds, A., Assan, D. S., & Wright, C. (2023). The Cost of Extending a Mine. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Lake-Vermont-Research-Brief-2.pdf

Chicago

Reynolds, Annika, Dr Sabina Assan, and Chris Wright. The Cost of Extending a Mine. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Lake-Vermont-Research-Brief-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Reynolds |first1=Annika |last2=Assan |first2=Dr Sabina |last3=Wright |first3=Chris |title=The Cost of Extending a Mine |publisher=Ember |date=25 May 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Lake-Vermont-Research-Brief-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reynolds2023cost, author = {Reynolds, Annika and Assan, Dr Sabina and Wright, Chris}, title = {{The Cost of Extending a Mine}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Lake-Vermont-Research-Brief-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }