Port Waratah Coal Services is seeking to offload a 70-hectare parcel of industrial land on Kooragang Island once earmarked for the T4 coal loader project.
The company has called for expressions of interest in the land, which it has held for several decades, in the October 26 edition of the Newcastle Herald.
The site comprises two contiguous holdings zoned SP1 (Special Activities). The zoning permits an array of uses including port facilities, general industries, freight transport facilities, heavy industries, transport depots and waste or resource management facilities.
It is adjacent to the Port of Newcastle's Clean Energy Hub.
The heavily-contaminated site, once part of the former Delta EMD waste emplacement , contains an array of heavy metals and hydrocarbons.
"Port Waratah recognizes the rehabilitation obligations associated with the land and will continue with closure and rehabilitation planning in parallel with the expressions of interest process," a spokesman said.
He said that there would be no change to Port Waratah Coal's existing operations.
The site has lain dormant since PWCS abandoned plans for the fourth coal terminal in May 2018.
T4 was first announced in 2009 as likely to handle another 70 million tonnes of coal a year, but by the time it was approved in 2015 it had a first stage capacity of only 25 million tonnes.
It would have cost an estimated $3.5 billion, including $1 billion for dredging of the Hunter River almost up the Tourle Street bridge linking Mayfield with Kooragang Island.
PWCS chief executive Hennie du Plooy told the Newcastle Herald at the time that the project had been formally cancelled to avoid $100 million in future land lease costs, and because demand for coal was not growing in the way previously expected.
The project had been fiercely opposed by environment groups.
Mr du Plooy acknowledged the campaign against T4 but insisted it was scrapped due to financial reasons, not environmental ones.
Coal export volumes for 2024 appear on track to surpass recent years.
PWCS figures show 7.8 million tonnes was exported from its Korragang and Carrington terminals in September, taking its year to date exports to 73.2million.
The figure is up 8.1 per cent on the same time last year (67.7 million tonnes).
"To date this year, there has been an increase in coal exported through Port Waratah, compared to the same period in 2023, of seven million tonnes. We are tracking towards an annual terminal throughput of 100 million tonnes, similar to coal export quantities over the last decade," Mr du Plooy said recently.
"Port Waratah's operational performance has continued to be strong with excellent reliability, high load rates and low vessel queues benefiting our customers. Japan continues to be the largest export destination in 2024, consistent with previous years."
Port of Newcastle August coal export figures, which include exports from Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group, show 14.2 million tonnes left the port during the month, taking the year to date exports to 97.7 million tonnes.
