Mine restoration requires extensive planning, monitoring and reporting over many years. It starts before mining is approved and we monitor and manage the land well after mining is complete.

And drone pilots are helping us to tread more lightly, using the latest tech and software for remote aerial seeding of native plants and for monitoring rehabilitated land.

Yancoal is one mining company working with Dendra Systems and their specially designed drones that can seed areas that are difficult to reach by foot and to speed up the seeding process. They also provide extremely accurate and unlimited fast-paced measuring, surveying and maintenance inspections, which are vital to make sure seeds are sprouting and ecosystems are established and growing in early stages of land restoration.

Surveyors in mining are often also now qualified as drone pilots in NSW, bringing a further technological edge to an important role in our industry.

Glencore’s CSA mine in Cobar has commissioned a 14-tonne battery-electric loader to move rock and ore at the underground copper and silver mine - the first of its kind in the world. This is helping reduce diesel emissions and energy costs, while also improving safety for workers and productivity.

It's one of Australia's deepest underground mines and produces around 50,000 tonnes of copper concentrate per year. The electric loader transports thousands of tonnes of ore and rock each day.

Transitioning to lower emissions machinery is another way that mining companies in NSW are working towards a more sustainable future.

We’re always looking for ways to do things smarter and safer. And the team at Newcrest Mining’s Cadia Valley Operations are leading the way with semi-autonomous remote controlled underground mining vehicles.

On the surface, there are people in high-tech offices with x-box controllers, keyboards and screens to run underground loaders moving ore from mining areas to the processing plant. And it’s all done without people having to be in the vehicles, making those operations less hazardous for everyone.

It’s also happening up the road at CMOC-Northparkes Mines. In 2015, they became the world’s most automated underground mine with 100 per cent automated loaders.

The team at Cadia Valley Operations has also integrated a remote-operated water cannon into the fleet of automated equipment, to help make their operations safer. It marks another world first with remote-operated and autonomous equipment from multiple companies being used at a single mine.

Mining companies in NSW are working towards a future that includes fewer emissions and renewable energy that helps to power our businesses and homes across NSW, along with our high-quality low-emissions coal.

Like Centennial, which has built Airly Solar Farm adjacent to one of its mines near Lithgow, west of Sydney. The solar farm supplies around 20 percent of the electricity needed to run the mine. And when mining operations eventually come to an end, Centennial is planning to put that power back into the grid to power homes and businesses across NSW.

Newcrest Mining’s Cadia Valley Operations is also prioritising more energy efficient operations. As the country's biggest underground gold mines, they are working hard to reduce emissions, including a new contract for power supply which means more than 40 per cent of their energy needs will be met by renewables from January 2024.

Mining is a data rich industry. Information is tracked in real time and over longer periods to monitor, manage and improve the way we do things every day.

One good example is the Site Asset Operations Centre at Newcrest Mining’s Cadia Valley Operations in Orange, where mining operators use large screens and data linked to equipment, systems and machinery running above and below ground.

Live video from across the site is streamed to experts watching and tracking operations simultaneously. They can make changes on the fly or work with business analysts and other experts to drill down into the data and make smart decisions that make mining more efficient and more sustainable.