Plans to expand the Port of Newcastle in New South Wales have been scrapped.

Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS) has decided not to develop Terminal 4 at the world’s largest coal export facility.

PWCS chief Hennie du Plooy said industry consultation had found the capacity of the existing terminals should be enough to cater for future growth in exports.

‘With significant growth capacity available in the existing terminals, we do not expect that the conditions to support an investment of the large and long-term nature of Terminal 4 will be in place before the development approval lapses in September 2020,” Ms du Plooy said.

“We are proud of the role our Carrington and Kooragang terminals play in connecting Hunter Valley coal with the world and we are confident that with ongoing investment in the reliability and performance of these terminals, we will be well positioned and flexible enough to adjust quickly to changes in demand.”

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee agreed.

“Newcastle’s existing coal export infrastructure is highly efficient, providing flexibility of service for ships of different sizes, and has capacity to manage export volumes around 30 percent higher than current record levels,” Galilee said.

“This is sufficient to cater for any expected increased demand in the medium term and potential increased production from new and developing future NSW coal projects.”