引用:

The Victorian government has confirmed it is considering exporting billions of tonnes of brown coal from its La Trobe Valley reserves.

Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor says any export decision would have to meet the state government's environmental requirements.

"It is being considered along with a number of other commercial propositions - but no decision has been made," Mr Batchelor told ABC Radio.

Mr Batchelor's comments came after the The Age newspaper obtained confidential cabinet documents which showed the government was considering offering a tender next year for large-scale coal exports.

According to The Age, the export program would be preceded by a $1.5 billion project to be run by a private company, Exergen, to mine, dry and export 12 million tonnes of brown coal a year to be used in an Indian power station.

Exergen plans a 150km pipeline to transport dried coal from the Latrobe Valley to an expanded port at Hastings, The Age said.

But the proposal has met opposition with Environment Victoria arguing Premier John Brumby should reject the export program.

Environment Victoria's campaigns director Mark Wakeham says a brown coal export industry would increase global greenhouse emissions and delay the Latrobe Valley's shift to a clean energy future.

"It's astonishing that the state government is trying to expand a polluting industry that needs to be phased out to limit climate change," Mr Wakeham said.

"It appears there is a rush to allocate Victoria's coal resource before international climate change agreements bite and the industry's social licence to operate disappears."