Yallourn Coal Mine
The Yallourn brown coal mine is located in Yallourn between Moe and Morwell in the Latrobe Valley. It is assigned mining licence MIN5003. EnergyAustralia owns the mine and is the licence holder.
Yallourn is one of three Victorian mines gazetted as ‘Declared Mines’ under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 (‘the Act’).
A declared mine is one that has been identified as having significant and complex environmental, social or economic risks, particularly in relation to mine rehabilitation and closure.
Declared mines are subject to greater regulatory oversight and must meet higher standards regarding rehabilitation planning and implementation as part of the mine closure.
Background
Yallourn’s mine has served the Yallourn power station since the 1920s. Brown coal is extracted via open-cut mining and transported to the nearby power station for use in electricity generation.
In 2021, EnergyAustralia announced plans to close the power station and mine in 2028.
Current status
Rehabilitation
The Act and regulations require EnergyAustralia to prepare and submit a Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plan by 1 October 2025.
EnergyAustralia’s draft Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plan was made publicly available and submissions invited between 18 June 2025 and 18 August 2025.
To learn more about next steps, visit EnergyAustralia's have your say page.
Regulatory compliance
Resources Victoria monitors EnergyAustralia’s mining operations to ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements pertaining to Declared Mines. This includes undertaking quarterly audits of mine stability, rehabilitation, environment and fire risk.
In addition to its routine audit program, Resources Victoria carries out inspections as needed and in response to concerns reported by community members.
Read more about regulatory compliance.
Enquiries
Enquiries about onsite operations and activities at Yallourn mine should be directed to EnergyAustralia via:
Community concerns and complaints
Emergency incidents, safety concerns, pollution events, evidence of non-compliance and other community concerns and complaints should be directed to the regulator responsible for the area it relates to.
- Use the RRAM online form, email errfeedback@deeca.vic.gov.au or call 1300 366 356 to contact Resources Victoria about activities occurring within the site boundary.
- Contact Environment Protection Authority Victoria’s 24-hour pollution hotline on 1300 372 842 or online via the EPA’s reporting pollution page.
Recent site history
Morwell River diversion
In the long history of coal mining and power production in the Latrobe Valley, the Morwell River has been diverted several times, including to allow for expansions of mine fields at Yallourn, Maryvale and Hazelwood. Diversion methods have ranged from pipes in the 1970s to artificial river courses in the 2000s.
In 2005, a structure was constructed to divert the Morwell River through the Yallourn mine. This structure allowed mining of coal reserves in the Maryvale mine field.
Major flood flows in June 2021 compromised the diversion’s structural integrity, which threatened to impact power production at the Yallourn power station. High-flow diversions were established to bypass the existing structure by temporarily allowing water to enter the Hazelwood mine void. This enabled repairs to be undertaken.
Following the completion of repair works, the diversion structure was assessed as being able to cope with similar flood flows in future.
Page last updated: 22 Aug 2025