Australia’s High Court invalidates Mount Pleasant mine expansion approval

Australia’s High Court ruled 3–2 that the NSW planning commission failed to consider whether greenhouse gas emissions from burning exported coal could be mitigated when it approved MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant mine expansion. The ruling invalidated the approval; the proposed expansion would have doubled output to 21 million tonnes annually through 2048.

Why it matters. The decision affects coal-project approvals in New South Wales by requiring planning authorities to consider mitigation of emissions from exported coal, with implications for regulators, mining companies and communities.