Glencore says it never urged the Albanese government to delay Australia’s energy transition.

Contradicting a front-page story in The Australian, the Swiss-based mining giant rejected claims that its chief executive, Gary Nagle, called for the shift from coal to renewables to be slowed, branding the report inaccurate.  

“Our position is that the transition should NOT be slowed down,” the company said in a statement to The Guardian. 

Glencore emphasised its role as a leading producer of critical minerals essential for renewable energy, including cobalt, nickel, and zinc.  

The company explained its actual stance: fossil fuels like coal will remain necessary in the short to medium term to stabilise power grids during the renewable rollout. This, it argued, ensures “an orderly energy transition”.  

Still, Glencore’s coal strategy has drawn scrutiny. 

Since February 2023, it has closed three Australian coalmines and plans to shut three more locally and four abroad by 2035. 

However, its application to extend the massive Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) mine, labelled by New South Wales regulators as the state’s largest ever coal proposal, signals ongoing investment in the resource.  

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