Industry
Coal mining in the Latrobe Valley commenced near Yallourn over a century ago. The State Electricity Commission (SEC) was formed to develop open cut mining in the Latrobe Valley and build power generation facilities. Sir John Monash was appointed Chairman of the SEC in 1921, with power from Yallourn first reaching Melbourne in 1924.
Several mining leases are active in the Latrobe Valley
| Mine | Mining Lease | Mining lease area (Ha) |
|---|---|---|
| Loy Yang | MIN5189 | 4,560 |
| Yallourn | MIN5003, MIN5216, MIN5304 | 5,595 |
| Hazelwood | MIN5004 | 3,320 |
Loy Yang
Loy Yang is Victoria’s largest coal mine and is operated by AGL Energy. Power generation from coal is currently planned until 2035 for Loy Yang A (AGL), which generates 2,210 MW, or approximately 30% of Victoria’s power requirements. Power production from the adjacent Loy Yang B (Alinta) power station is 1,200 MW.
| Owner | Mine dimensions | (at 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| AGL, Alinta | Perimeter | 15.3 km |
| Area | 10.6 km2 | |
| Depth | 200 m |
Yallourn
Located at the intersection of the Morwell and Latrobe rivers, coal mining at Yallourn commenced as early as 1880, with the first power generated by the SEC reaching Melbourne in 1924. Yallourn currently produces 1,480 MW of power and is set to cease mining and power production in 2028.
Yallourn mine is the oldest of the three open cut coal mines and will have produced around 1.3 billion tonnes when operations cease. It is also the shallowest with the mining depth less than 90m. Currently, the mine produces 18 million tonnes of brown coal annually to supply Yallourn Power Station, owned by Energy Australia.
| Owner | Mine dimensions | (both pits, as at 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Australia | Perimeter | 21.5 km |
| Area | 27.4 km2 | |
| Depth | 133 m |
Hazelwood
The Hazelwood power station ceased operations in March 2017, removing 1,600 MW of power generation capacity. Mine rehabilitation is underway, with demolition of the former Hazelwood Power Station and large mine infrastructure largely complete in 2022. Installation of the Hazelwood BESS (battery energy storage system), which will store 150 MWh of power, is currently underway close to the former power station.
| Owner | Mine dimensions | (as at 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| ENGIE | Perimeter | 16.2 km |
| Area | 13.2 km2 | |
| Depth | ~120 m |
