Coal

According to reports, 1355 small coal mines were shutdown in the first three quarters of this year as part of efforts to restructure China’s mining industry.

The Mining Association of BC has congratulated the international rescue team, which freed the 33 miners stuck underground in Chile.

OKK Koksovny a.s. (OKK), Europe’s largest producer of foundry coke and subsidiary of New World Resources N.V. (NWR), a leading hard coal and coke producer, has commenced trial operations at its new coke battery at the Svoboda coking plant in Ostrava, the Czech Republic.

New Zealand coal miner, Solid Energy, will recommence exploration drilling in the Croyden coalfield, Southland, to increase its understanding of the lignite resources located there. The programme of drilling will provide information to help the miner make decisions about how to mine the lignite to meet the quantity and quality requirements for its various lignite conversion projects.

Under new regulations, China’s mine managers are now required to accompany their workers underground. Failure to do so will result in hefty fines.

Air Liquide have joined the FutureGen 2.0 project to build an oxy-combustion coal fired plant with CCS technology incorporated.

An agreement between Powerfuel Power, B9 Coal and AFC Energy will see the latter company’s fuel cell technology installed at Powerfuel’s Hatfield site in the UK.

October 2010: Kay Sever outlines how the transition to a maintenance planning culture from a ‘plan-free’ environment can be tough but it is worthwhile.

Western Coal has announced record production increases of 90% to 1.5 million t for its fiscal second quarter 2011 (ending September 30 2010).

The US Department of Energy has signed a US$1 billion co-operative agreement with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance and Ameren Energy Resources for the FutureGen 2.0 clean coal project. It is hoped the project will help position the US as a leader in technologies for reducing carbon emissions from existing coal-fired power plants.

Following results from the first coke tests at its Zambeze coal project, Riversdale Mining has announced that the project will produce hard coking coal. The results come from two coal seams, and the company plans to test the remaining seams in Q1 2011.

Peabody energy will expand production at its Gateway mine, Illinois, by 40% to 4.5 million tpa to meet demand. The expansion is expected to cost US$ 175 million.

In India, plans are afoot to increase coal production by introducing a bill that will mean that the mines must share a portion of their profits with the locals.

Continental Coal Ltd’s Vlakvarkfontein coal mine has exceeded its monthly production target of 100,000 t during its second full month of operation.

South East Asian coal producing countries should be cheering on its revival. However, Ng Weng Hoong explains why they will also be grappling with uncertainties brought on by their increased economic dependence on, and the environmental impact of mining and handling, coal.