A major factor in the economic development of New South Wales has
been the ready availability of coal for the major industrial and urban
centres of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. Historically, the presence
of high quality coal near these areas has acted as a catalyst to urban and
industrial growth. This easy access to low cost coal resources over the past 200 years has
given rise to a commonly held belief that New South Wales contains vast
coal resources sufficient to meet any foreseeable demand. However, a
recent study undertaken by the Coal Resources Development Committee
has found that New South Wales is likely to face a serious shortage of
economically mineable coal in the future. Forecasts predict that demand for New South Wales coal will increase
by about 40 per cent, and then remain at about that level for at least a
further ten years. To meet such demands, the coal industry will require
access to economic high quality coal resources.