About us

The NewGenCoal website is run by the Australian Coal Association.

We know climate change is a real problem. Burning coal for electricity creates CO2, which contributes to global warming. But it's also a fact that we rely heavily on coal in Australia. It underpins many jobs, regional communities, our power supply and strong economy. Worldwide, demand for energy is growing rapidly and coal is its most secure source.

That's why our industry is investing a billion dollars in carbon capture and storage to reduce our emissions. With carbon capture and storage, we can capture the CO₂ emitted by burning fossil fuels, and compress it into a liquid, which is transported to a storage site. Then we store it safely and permanently deep underground. With 14 active projects in Australia and hundreds more worldwide, carbon capture and storage is a practical solution. Alongside renewables, actions and new ideas, it can make a real difference.

Here on our website, we've gathered the world’s best research on all these issues. You can read our summaries, or go directly to the source to make your own analysis. Once you've learned as much as you can, you can do something about climate change. Take action, share your ideas, and join in the conversation on our blog or Twitter.

About the ACA

The Australian Coal Association (ACA) is an industry body representing Australia’s black coal producers. These coal companies operate mines which are located predominantly in New South Wales and Queensland, as well as in Western Australia and Tasmania.

These are the member companies of the Australian Coal Association and their company websites:  

• Anglo American Metallurgical Coal Pty Ltd
• Bloomfield Collieries Pty Ltd
• BM Alliance Coal Operations Pty Ltd
• Caledon Coal Pty Ltd
• Centennial Coal Company Ltd
• Coalpac Pty Ltd
• The Cornwall Coal Company Pty Ltd
• Donaldson Coal Pty Ltd
• Enhance Place Pty Ltd
• Ensham Resources Pty Ltd
• Felix Resources Limited
• Gloucester Coal Ltd
• Hunter Valley Energy Coal Pty Ltd
• Idemitsu Australia Resources Pty Ltd
• Illawarra Coal Holdings Pty Ltd
• Jellinbah Resources Pty Ltd
• Macarthur Coal Limited
• New Hope Corporation Ltd
• Peabody Energy Australia Pty Ltd
• Rio Tinto Coal Australia Pty Ltd
• Sonoma Mine Management Pty Ltd
• Vale Australia Pty Ltd
• Wesfarmers Resources Ltd
• Whitehaven Coal Mining Pty Ltd
• Xstrata Coal Pty Ltd
• Yancoal Australia Pty Ltd

Note that in most cases the parent company only is listed here. Companies may include one or more subsidiaries.

COAL21, and our commitment to accelerating carbon capture and storage

In 2003, the Australian Coal Association (ACA) brought together representatives from the coal and electricity industries, unions, federal and state governments and the research community to form the COAL21 partnership.  The COAL21 Action Plan, launched in 2004, aims to accelerate the demonstration and deployment of low emissions coal technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-based electricity generation.

In 2006 the ACA announced the establishment of the COAL21 Fund as part of a world-first whole-of-industry funding approach to support greenhouse gas abatement. The COAL21 Fund is raising $1 billion over 10 years from a voluntary levy on coal production to support the pre-commercial demonstration of low emissions technologies in the power generation sector (where over 95 per cent of emissions from coal occur) and supporting R&D. This initiative complements the Australian Government’s $500 million Low Emissions Coal Fund and $500 million Low Emission Technology Demonstration Fund.

Australian Coal Association Research Program

Since 1992 Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) has been funding R&D into coal production and use. ACARP currently invests over $14 million per annum on industry-related research via an industry-wide levy on coal production.

Through ACARP the industry also supports key research via its membership of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) and the Queensland Centre for Low Emissions Technology (cLET). A number of coal producers have also elected to become individual participants in these Centres. In addition to ACARP and the COAL21 Fund individual Australian black coal producers are providing significant direct funding for demonstration projects – in Australian and international projects.

Australian and International Initiatives

The coal industry, the ACA and its members are active participants in a number of national and international programs and fora related to greenhouse issues and technology development including the:

• National Low Emissions Coal Council
• National Carbon Storage Taskforce
• Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute
• Greenhouse Challenge Plus Program
• Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate
• International Energy Agency (IEA) Clean Coal Centre
• Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF)
• Methane-to-Markets Partnership; and
• Australia-China Joint Co-ordination Group on Clean Coal Technologies.

Getting in touch with us

We enjoy receiving feedback from our visitors.

The best way to get in touch with us is by filling in the email form below. We always read our emails and try to reply to as many as we can.

You can also join in the conversation on our blog or share your ideas for tackling climate change.

If you have a media inquiry, please visit our Media page for a dedicated phone number, press releases and resources.