Moranbah North alleged explosion underlines danger of methane

The latest explosion at an Anglo American coal mine, this time at Moranbah North coal mine shows the real danger of methane emissions to workers and the climate, Queensland Conservation Council says.

Moranbah North is only 15 kilometres from Anglo American’s Grosvenor coal mine, which remains shut after a fire in July 2024 burnt underground for weeks, putting workers and local residents in danger. This latest incident highlights that Queensland coal has a serious methane problem.

Queensland Conservation Council calls on the Federal Government to require better reporting of methane from coal mining, and for the State Government to require methane capture and reduction at existing coal mines to achieve a safe workplace and climate for Queenslanders.

Queensland Conservation Council Energy Strategist Clare Silcock said

We are relieved that no one was injured in this round of methane related problems at the Moranbah North coal mine. But this explosion clearly shows coal companies can’t even be trusted to report truthfully what happened. On Monday, it was reported that high carbon monoxide readings forced the shut down of the mine but it now appears that this was actually due to an explosion and small fire.

The explosion was likely to have been triggered by a build up of methane. Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas which causes up to 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Increasingly, satellite data is able to show that coal mining companies operating in Queensland have been underreporting methane emissions for decades. The International Energy Agency calculated that, in 2022, Australia’s methane emissions from coal mining were 60% higher than reported by companies.

Coal companies don’t want to report their true emissions because it will reveal the dirty secret that coal mining is driving up Queensland’s carbon pollution, and has no place in the net zero future most Queenslanders want. This latest incident shows that coal companies won’t be able to hide their methane emissions for much longer though.

The Moranbah North workers now join their Grosvenor colleagues, facing a deeply uncertain future. We need certainty from the Government on a transition away from dangerous, polluting coal mines towards green industries of the future.

Queenslanders need strong action to reduce emissions from coal mining through better regulations on methane reporting and decarbonisation targets tied to existing coal mines, to achieve a safe workplace and climate for us all.

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