A surprise election victory for Australia’s pro-coal ruling Coalition is ratcheting up pressure on the Queensland state government to approve development in one of the biggest untapped reserves of the fossil fuel.
Adani Group’s Carmichael coal project is located in Australia’s huge Galilee Basin, which if fully developed, has the potential to more than double Australia’s thermal coal exports. But the project, first proposed in 2010, has been hampered by regulatory delays and difficulty in securing financing amid a passionate environmental protest movement.