Yallourn Mine Social Impacts

Societal Impact
Yallourn Power Station is a brown coal-fired station which is located at Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. [1] Australia’s second major open cut mine, Yallourn mine is located adjacent to the Yallourn power station which is accountable for 22% of Victoria’s electricity.
More than 200 employees and contractors are employed in the operations, maintenance and administration sectors in the Yallourn mine with a wide range of additional employees in support related roles including security and emergency services, etc. [2]
Numerous social impacts will be encountered if the mine reduces its output or shuts down.
The mines provide well-paid employment opportunities, such acts would increase unemployment and welfare dependence, leading to a

For employees without recognized qualifications or skills that are transferable outside of the mining industry will be unable to find alternative employment in the region and may either go on to welfare or leave the region. [3] This causes reduced motivation and morale which would lead to safety issues. Consequentially there is a projected decrease in the local population. Thus, all workers who owned or rented their homes would sell or stop renting if they intend to leave at the closure of the mine, this would lead to the housing market going down. Extreme changes would be undergone by the community, number of people would leave a community sport, sport-based organization, etc.

For instance, Coal India which produces about 82% of India’s coal has announced it will close 37 mines this year. The solar sector of India has received massive international investments and predicts that by 2027 that 57% of its power will be generated by renewable resources. [11] Similar Germany is in the verge of closing its hard coal mines, that era will be coming to an end when the last of these mines are set to close at the end of 2018, Prosper-Haniel being special. Coal will be replaced with renewable energy sources like wind and solar. [12] In 2016, wind, solar, and other renewables supplied approximately 30% of the country’s electricity. The goal is to reach 40% in the next 10 years.