Three hundred Myuna Colliery miners and supporters rallied at Eraring power Station on February 4 to demand their jobs and a just transition as the coal-fired Eraring power station is wound down.
The three-year reprieve from closure, recently granted to the power station, was not extended to the mine. Centennial Coal, which owns Myuna Colliery, rejected Origin’s offer of a one-year contract.
Centennial has indicated that it is prepared to open its books to prove the deal is not commercially viable.
Myuna was purpose-built to supply Eraring in the early 1980s. Eight kilometers of covered conveyors move coal from the mine at Wangi to the power station. The two have run in tandem for 40 years.
Origin Energy wants to freight coal by rail from the Upper Hunter mines, about 100 kilometers away, until it reopens Newstan Colliery. This will add to rail track congestion and generate more coal dust for those living near the rail corridor.
Origin Energy is not worried about the jobs of 300 miners and 1800 suppliers which are dependent on the mine. Its 2025 profit was $1.49 billion.
Damien Brogden, a miner who addressed the rally, said Origin Energy and the NSW government must get serious about a proper transition for fossil fuel workers and grant contracts to the Myuna Mine.
Myuna and Newstan Collieries, as well as the power station, were once owned by NSW. Origin bought Eraring in 2012 for $50 million. The mine is now operated by Centennial.
The rally was organised by the Mining Employees Union and supported by the Colliery Staff Association, the Amalgamated Metal Workers Union and the Electrical Trades Union.
