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In short:
BHP's Mt Arthur coal mine, which employs more than 2,000 people, is preparing to close by 2030.
An inquiry into post-mining land use has heard outdated rules are preventing BHP from leaving a "positive legacy".
What's next?
The inquiry will prepare a report with recommendations for state government consideration.
Coal continues to be mined at 39 sites across New South Wales, most of it bound for ports to be sent around the world.
At Muswellbrook's Mt Arthur mine in the coal-rich Hunter Valley, the 24/7 operation extracted more than 15 million tonnes of coal last financial year.
It is the state's largest coal mine with more than 2,000 employees, but approvals are running out.
Owner BHP announced in 2022 that it would seek a four-year mining extension to slowly close the mine by 2030, after failing to find a buyer for it.
With a 7,000-hectare footprint, the closure and repurposing of the expansive site will be no small feat.
BHP's NSW Energy Coal vice president, Liz Watts, said it was a "massive task".
"It is a significant parcel of land and with that comes significant opportunities," she said.
"It's not just about delivering environmental outcomes, it's not just about delivering economic outcomes, it's not just about delivering social outcomes.
"It's trying to bring to bear the true intent of sustainability, which is those three things coming together."
Ms Watts said the mine had "real potential" as a site for pumped-hydro and solar technology.
Nearby Muswellbrook Coal, owned by Idemitsu, has lodged similar renewables plans after 115 years of mining ended in 2022.
2011 Churchill fellow Peter Whitbred-Abrutat has just co-written a book, 102 Things to do with a Hole in the Ground, and said the Hunter was well poised to thrive into the future.
"You have got this incredible existing electric power infrastructure in place… it would make sense as one major after use for this region to still be involved in electricity generation and storage," Dr Whitbred-Abrutat said.
"That said, you've got an enormous landscape here where you can do all kinds of different things as well, including the ecological restoration side of things, and particularly around potential tourism and recreational opportunities.
"There's a really diverse economy already and what happens after the coal mine is gone should augment that rather than try and create a whole new unusual future."
Restrictive regulations
Dr Whitbred-Abrutat said mine-site remediation regulations should be updated to allow better outcomes.
"Instead of just leaving a grassy mound and a pit lake, [we should be] trying to do something more practical, pragmatic and progressive with those landscapes that create jobs and are better for the environment," he said.
Mt Arthur will be one of 32 mines in NSW to close by 2040.
Ms Watts hopes the current state government inquiry into post-mining land will lead to practical regulatory changes.
"[Will] the demolition and removal of some of the existing infrastructure at the site, which is what we're currently required to do under our development consent, actually set up for the best future and outcomes for this area, from an economic point of view?" she said.
"The opportunity [exists] to repurpose those maintenance facilities and administrative facilities into what could be manufacturing or industrial uses for that land.
"Also, there are still large tracks of trees that we're committed to planting, and we've been working towards with our rehabilitation for the last 20 years, that definitely still has a part to play."
Environmental groups have reminded the inquiry of mine operators' obligations to rehabilitate the land and welcomed public conversations about the future.
"The basis of community expectation is that the mining companies will meet these obligations and that biodiversity and agriculture will be prioritised in the closure planning process," Lock The Gate Alliance wrote in its submission.
Post-mining workforce
One in two coal mining jobs in New South Wales are based in the Muswellbrook and Singleton local government areas.
"We know that as coal diminishes there's a potential 12,000 jobs lost," Australian Workers Union organiser Jack Ayoub said.
Mr Ayoub told the Upper House inquiry he supported the idea of a skills audit and suggested formal acknowledgement of the "many and varied, and highly specialised" skills would give certainty to workers as they embarked on their next career path.
BHP has started working with workers at the Mt Arthur mine to plan their next steps beyond 2030.
This year, the NSW government appointed a Net Zero Commission and announced Future Jobs and Investment Authorities.
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