Port Waratah Coal Services (Port Waratah) operates the worlds largest coal export terminals in close proximity to communities in the rapidly developing city of Newcastle.
Although Newcastle has an industrial history, development since the closure of the BHP steelworks in 1999 has progressively resulted in diversification of the economy with health care, financial services and education now counting as significant employers.One of the consequences of this development has been gentrification and renewal of previously industrial suburbs, some in close proximity to what remains a key economic asset for the region, Newcastle port.
With exports of 107 million tonnes in 2018, Port Waratahs coal export terminals account for approximately 67% of the ports exports, with coal accounting for 96% of the ports trade.Between 2007 and 2014 coal exports through the port doubled to approximately 150 million tonnes per annum and has since increased to approximately 160 million tonnes per annum.
These increases coincided with a period of heightened community awareness of environmental impact, air quality, climate change and the role of coal.
Parties opposed to the growth of the coal industry leveraged the increase in coal exports to create perceptions of increased environmental and health exposure, directly challenging Port Waratahs licence to operate. CITATION:du Plooy, S H and Larnach, T, 2019. Demonstrating local excellence by positioning business performance in a global sustainable development context, in Proceedings 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry, pp 3941 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).