Coalmines pollute much more than their operators predicted when they sought approval

The extra emissions produced by the Narrabri mine, on top of those forecast, are equal to 130,000 cars on the road. (Whitehaven Coal)

Whitehaven Coal's underground mine in northern NSW is polluting the atmosphere with more than three times the direct greenhouse gas emissions it forecast it would emit when it received environmental approval in 2015.

The company told regulators it expected to emit about 133,330 tonnes of CO2 each year on average — but its most recent data shows it is emitting more than half a million tonnes.