Illawarra Coal will sponsor the theatre with $A25,000 per year over three years.

Mineral resources minister Ian Macdonald and Illawarra Coal president Col Bloomfield will launch the theatre on Monday before an invitation-only gathering representing government, key community and professional groups and the mining industry.

“Science is the basis we use when we are working out where the coal is under the ground, then when we are planning how to extract it in the most environmentally and financially sound ways possible and again, years later, when we have finished mining and are ready to rehabilitate the mine sites,” sustainable development general manager Wendy Tyrrell said.

Science centre manager Glen Moore said providing a greater understanding of the coal industry and encouraging young people to consider careers in science and technology were shared visions of the centre and Illawarra Coal.