1000 years of coal? It’s actually 266
Claims that the West Coast has 1000 years’ worth of coal left to mine have been debunked.
National MP Maureen Pugh shared the statement on Twitter, but she was repeating an assertion made by Bathurst Mining chief executive Richard Tacon at a recent rally of about 4000 West Coasters concerned about Government policies affecting the region’s economy.
National Party leader Simon Bridges was at the rally, as was West Coast-based list MP Pugh.
Pugh was dragged into the limelight last year when Botany MP Jami-Lee Ross released a recording of Bridges describing her as ‘‘f ..... g useless’’. She later publicly forgave Bridges.
A Twitter user asked Bridges and Pugh if the West Coast’s ‘‘best course of action is developing more sustainable tourism like the Paparoa Track or Old Ghost Road, or mining coal until it’s all gone?’’.
Pugh responded: ‘‘We have another 1000 years of reserves, so we’ll have come up with an alternative by then.’’
She was bombarded with comments, including from one Twitter user who said: ‘‘Simon, this MP is doing more harm to your party
Bathurst Resources chief executive
than you are. Did neither of you see the #climatestrike in the media?’’
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has said 96 years is a more realistic figure for the amount of coal left on the Coast.
The West Coast has about 664.1 million tonnes of coal resources and reserves left, but not all of it could be recovered. Based on New Zealand’s annual consumption of 2.5 million tonnes, the region has 266 years’ worth of coal left. MBIE said a more correct estimate would be to include realistic recovery rates, which showed there were only 96 years of coal left.
Bathurst Resources chief executive Richard Tacon told the rally there were about 800 mining jobs on the West Coast. Development West Coast figures show that only 470 people were employed in mining there in 2018.
Tacon also said there was no alternative to coal for making steel, and there would be no dairying in the South Island without coal.
‘‘There is no alternative to using coal in those processes. We don’t need an alternative. We’ve 1000 years of coal supplies on the Coast to meet the needs of what is really a small part of our overall business but a really important part because it is returning export dollars,’’ he said.
‘‘Governments and companies around the world are realising it’s the way to go.’’
Fonterra is the country’s largest coal user. It says it burns about 500,000 tonnes annually, resulting in emissions of 873,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
Coal Action Network Aotearoa Cindy Baxter said there were plenty of alternatives to coal for the dairy industry. Fonterra had committed to being carbon neutral by 2050 and had already started using wood biomass in its dairy processing.
New Zealand should stop burning any more coal if it was serious about reducing climate change, regardless of how much coal was left, she said.
Tacon and Pugh did not respond to requests for comment.
Pugh earlier told Parliament that West Coasters felt uncertain about their futures. She said they wanted to be consulted, and the Government was not delivering on its promise of a ‘‘just transition’’.
‘‘There is no alternative to using coal.’’
Richard Tacon,