Australia's Coal Mines Burn More Fuel as Output Slows, Draining Public Money

Australian coal companies are spending more diesel to dig less coal. Shallow seams are depleted; miners now move more dirt per tonne extracted. Diesel use is climbing while production stalls. Emissions rose 1.4% in FY2024–25. Meanwhile, global coal power plants barely grew last year. The result: rising extraction costs meet weakening demand, making it harder to justify billions in annual fuel rebates to taxpayers.