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Carmichael coal mine

The Carmichael coal mine is an approved thermal coal mine in the north of the Galilee Basin in Central Queensland, Australia. Mining is planned to be conducted by both open-cut and underground methods.^[1] The mine is proposed by Adani Mining, a wholly owned subsidiary of India's Adani Group. The development was initially intended to represent an AU$16.5 billion investment^[2], however, after being refused financing by over 30 financial institutions worldwide, Adani announced in 2018 that the mining operation would be downsized and self-funded to AU$2bn.^[3]

At peak capacity the mine would produce 60 million tonnes of coal a year, much of it "low quality, high ash".^[4] In court, Adani said it expects the mine to produce 2.3 billion tonnes over 60 years.^[5] It would be the largest coal mine in Australia and one of the largest in the world.^[6] The mine would be the first of a number of large mines proposed for the Galilee Basin and would facilitate their development.

Exports are to leave the country via port facilities at Hay Point and Abbot Point after being transported to the coast via rail.^[1] The proposal includes a new 189 km rail line to connect with the existing Goonyella railway line. Most of the exported coal is planned to be shipped to India.^{[citation needed]}

The mine has drawn immense controversy about its claimed economic benefits,^[7] its financial viability, plans for government subsidy and the damaging environmental impacts. Broadly, these have been described as its potential impact upon the Great Barrier Reef, groundwater at its site and its carbon emissions.^[8] The emissions from burning the amount of coal expected to be produced from this one mine, whether sourced from it or elsewhere, would, in a "worst-case"^[5] scenario be, "approximately 0.53-0.56% of the carbon budget that remains after 2015 to have a likely chance of not exceeding 2 degrees warming...over at least 60 years... Approval of the Mine, therefore, could be either consistent or inconsistent with the goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees, depending on a range of external factors..." according to Doctor Chris Taylor and Associate Professor Malte Meinshausen.^[5]

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has a legal challenge to the approval given to Adani by the federal Environment Minister relating to water.^[9]

The Queensland premier has set June 19, 2019 as a deadline for final environmental approval of the project.