Fred Palmer, the former Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Peabody Energy and now a Partner in public affairs firm, Total Spectrum/Steve Gordon and Associates, has called on investors to revisit the idea of 21st Century Coal.

Speaking at the Platts Coal Properties and Investment Conference in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, Palmer said that coal demand was likely to increase around the world on the back of growing electricity demand and continued urbanisation.

“Embracing and investing in coal production, transportation and all parts of the coal chain is an investment opportunity of historic proportions,” Palmer said. “Robust electrification has brought untold benefits to the human environment – and 21st Century Coal will continue to fuel social development.”

21st Century Coal includes improving efficiency at existing plants and building new supercritical plants now, as well as working to develop and deploy IGCC and carbon capture, utilisation and storage, with the goal of reducing coal-based emissions to near-zero within a 20 yr timeframe.

Edited by Jonathan Rowland.