“My Government is absolutely committed to delivering a strong future for Collie, delivering major new industries and local jobs as the economy transitions away from coal.”
“Opening up industry-land land at Coolangatta is a critical next step for Collie, to make this town as attractive as possible for major projects.” (Premier WA)
“This commitment today will help to secure Collie’s future as an industry hub, putting its skilled workforce to best use and setting up this town for the long term.”
But let’s be honest—this sounds like the state government laying the groundwork for a nuclear power plant. Collie ticks all the boxes: abundant fresh water, existing transmission lines, and a skilled workforce. What more could you ask for?
Actually, what we want is cheap power so the state can afford to keep the lights on, so there is no need to spend any money on industrial land or a nuclear power plant if we can get past peak climate change madness and continue to use Collie coal for power generation.
Anyone who thinks coal is a thing of the past needs to read the following. As the International Energy Agency now admits, “coal is often considered a fuel of the past, but global consumption of it has doubled in the past three decades.” The numbers tell the story. In 2023, global coal demand hit an all-time high of 8,771 million metric tons, and it’s climbing further, with fresh records expected in 2025, 2026, and 2027. Power generation from coal will reach an eye-watering 10,700 terawatt-hours in 2024 (Wind and Solar produced 3000 TWh but needed 100% backup for obvious reasons). This is not a plateau—it’s an uphill climb. In fact, the IEA’s latest forecast for 2026 is 503 million tons more of coal than last year’s. That increase alone matches the combined annual coal use of the United States and Japan. Fun fact Australia produced 455 m tns of coal in 2023 not quite enough to fill the growing annual increase in demand.
I rest my case that Collie coal has a long future in front of it, if only the politicians and their climate change mania would get a grip on reality. No one is shutting down their coal fired power stations.
