1.2.1 Available coal and coal seam gas resources

Summary

Coal and coal seam gas resources (CSG) in the Hunter subregion are contained within the Hunter, Newcastle and Western Coalfields of the geological Sydney Basin. The major economic coal seams mined in the Hunter Coalfield are part of the Greta and the Wittingham coal measures, and in the Newcastle Coalfield the Greta, Tomago and the Newcastle coal measures contain extensive resources. Most of the coal produced from the Western Coalfield is contained in three main economic units within the Illawarra Coal Measures: the Lithgow Coal, Ulan Coal, and the Katoomba Coal Members. The origin of most of the methane (CH₄) in the Sydney Basin can be attributed to the microbial reduction of primarily magmatic carbon dioxide (CO₂). Areas down-dip of the Hunter and Newcastle Coalfields, as well as in the extreme north of the Western Coalfield, have been identified as being prospective for CSG.