An Aussie miner’s expletive-filled spray about the decline of coal has drawn the attention of climate-conscious billionaire Elon Musk.
Gerry Noonan, a mining industry veteran, founded his company Geotech in 1972 and now serves as a technical manager at Mining Equipment Safety (ME Safety).
In an interview with global mining equipment supplier Epiroc, he complained about the move away from the use of coal as a primary source of energy.
‘We have coal, because we have the biggest coal deposits in the world, but we’re not allowed to burn the f***ing stuff, so the world’s rooted, really,’ he said.
‘It’s alright to be idealistic, but you have to be realistic. And until the lights go out, the idiots that want to be green on everything and not do mining and not do coal, not do anything, they’re going to have to go back and use candles and live in tents.
‘You might f***ing laugh, but it’s true.’
The clip resurfaced on Thursday after it was shared by Money of Mine podcast co-host Travis Ricciardo, gaining attention on social media including from Musk.
‘If he looks up, he will see something called ‘The Sun’,’ Musk posted on X.
Ricciardo fired back: ‘Coal is ancient solar power, compressed over millions of years.
‘A natural wonder that affords reliable energy when the sun goes down.’
During the original interview, Mr Noonan lashed out at ‘s uranium policy.
‘We’re not allowed to use uranium, we’ve got the biggest uranium deposits in the world in and we’re not allowed to mine the f***ing stuff,’ he said.
‘So, it’s all fed. When half these c***s die, the world will be a better place, and those of us that survive will get going again.’
He also mocked his lawyer neighbour during the rant, taking issue with their suggestion that people build electric-vehicle charging plugs along highways.
‘I said, “But if you haven’t got a f***ing source from a power station, plugs on the highways aren’t going to do jacks***”.’
Daily Mail has contacted Geotech and ME Safety for comment.
’s reliance on coal for electricity has fallen sharply, with coal’s share in the National Electricity Market dropping from nearly 85 per cent in 2008 to just around 50 per cent in 2024.
The shift has been driven by cheaper renewables, aging coal infrastructure and the pressure to meet emissions targets.
Despite having the world’s third-largest uranium reserves, does not use nuclear power due to a federal ban.
The federal government also has a target of reaching 82 per cent renewable energy in the national grid by 2030, up from 43 per cent this year.
Almost half of renewable energy investors rate as only ‘somewhat attractive’ for future projects, The Clean Energy Investor Group revealed earlier in July.
The group, whose 26 members have combined investments of about $38billion, were quizzed on topics including the biggest challenges, opportunities and locations for renewable energy.
Of the 13 investors who responded, almost half (46 per cent) rated as a ‘somewhat attractive’ destination for clean energy investments, while 23 per cent remained neutral and another 23 per cent classified the nation as ‘very attractive’.