Glencore has begun planning for the closure of its Tahmoore underground coal mine in New South Wales, Australia, the company said in a media statement. Under the plans, the mine would close by early 2019.
The mine has been operating since 1979 and produced 2.1 million t of metallurgical coal last year, the company said. But low prices in global coal markets now mean that the economic return from Tahmoor’s remaining reserves are “not sufficient to warrant the investment required to mine them”.
Those unsupportive economic conditions also meant that proposed projects at Tahmoor South and Tahmoor North, which would have extended operations at the site, will not be developed.
Consultations with the Tahmoor workforce has begun with the expectation that the mine’s 350 employees will be gradually reduced over the next 18 months as development work at the mine is completed. All mining is expected to end by early 2019.
“We appreciate this will be a difficult time for our employees and we will be putting support services in place to assist them, including investigation of opportunities for redeployments at other Glencore operations,” the company said.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Maithon Power Ltd (MPL), a 74:26 joint venture between Tata Power and Damodar Valley Corp. (DVC), has increased its generation by 7% in FY16 compared to FY15.
MPL generated 7172 MUs in FY16 as compared to 6684 MUs in FY15.
Ashok Sethi, COO and ED at Tata Power, commented: “This development has reaffirmed our position as largest integrated power company in the country. Tata Power will ensure that it continues to add to the generation capacity of the power sector of India and prove to be a national asset to the country. We are extremely proud of this development and hope to achieve many more milestones.”
MPL is the first successful public-private partnership (PPP) in green field generation project in the country. The plant has implemented 2 x 525 MW coal-fired power project power in Jharkhand. The power project provides to close to 16 million domestic consumers and supplies cost competitive power to industry and agriculture.
K. Chandrashekhar, Chief Executive Officer and ED at Maithon Power Ltd, stated: “It is a significant achievement for us and has given much needed impetus to surge ahead and look for capacity addition by another 1320 MW at the same plant. MPL will continue to be a competitive source of power and help meet states growing demand for electricity”.
The power project is located at Maithon in the state of Jharkhand with a total capacity of 1050 MW. In addition to supplying power to DVC, power from the Maithon project is being exported to power deficit northern and southern state. The Project supplies power to three states, namely Delhi, West Bengal and Kerala as also to DVC as per long-term PPA, which are currently facing shortage of electricity.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
MICROMINE has signed an agreement with the Colorado School of Mines (Mines) to partner in developing talented students and teachers within the university’s Geology and Geological Engineering Department.
MICROMINE’s Academic Licence Scheme (ALS provides strategic and multifaceted foundations, which include continued support, learning resources and training materials and access to MICROMINE wider community.
MICROMINE considers these educational partnerships to be a strategic investment in the development of local communities and the future of the mining industry. It believes signing this new agreement with Colorado School of Mines will prove to be a strong alliance.
“Highly skilled graduates are in great demand by mining companies around the world. The combination between Mines’ rigorous degree program and Micromine’s easy-to-use exploration and mine design solution, provides the perfect combination between students receiving technical training and hands-on exploration and 3D mining design exposure” commented Claire Tuder, MICROMINE’s General Manager.
“Mines is a small university, serving a worldwide community, committed to a universal mission – to create solutions related to earth, energy and the environment” explained Dr. Nigel T. Middleton, Senior Vice President for Strategic Enterprises.
“Colorado School of Mines’ Geology and Geological Engineering Department is looking forward to having MICROMINE 2016 available to its student body starting in 2016-2017. MICROMINE’s staff have been diligent and timely about making this transition a success and CSM’s Society of Economic Geology Student Chapter looks forward to a short course on the software in the fall” commented Nicole Allen, CSM SEG Officer 2016-2017, M.Sc. Candidate under Prof. Murray Hitzman, Colorado School of Mines.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Australian mining production grew 6.2% in the March quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in its latest Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product report. This follows a moderate December quarter result (1.4%).
Coal mining production was up 3.1% in the March quarter – behind “Other” mining (up 8.2%) and iron ore mining (up 7.6%). It marked the fifteenth consecutive quarter of growth in iron ore mining. Australian oil and gas production was also up by 5.1%.
Growth in the mining sector helped to boost export levels – the key driver in GDP growth of 1.1%. Exports were up 6.6% year on year and 4.4% on the December 2015 quarter, adding 1 percentage points to Australian GDP growth, according to the ABS.
This compared to household spending – the next largest contributor to GDP growth – which added only 0.4 percentage points.
Overall, the mining sector contributed 0.5 percentage points to Australian GDP growth of 1.1% compared to 0.2 percentage points from the financial services sector and 0.1 percentage points from the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.
The ABS data “confirm that mining production remains a significant contributor to Australia’s economic growth,” said Brednan Pearson, Chief Executive of the Minerals Council of Australia.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Linc Energy’s US subsidiaries have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston, the company said in an SGX release.
The eleven subsidiary companies filed for bankruptcy on 29 May and are pending joint administration under Judge David R Jones.
Linc Energy’s US operations comprise onshore oil and gas operation in Alaska, Texas, Louisiana and Wyoming. It also owns an underground coal gasification technology that converts unmineable coal into syngas in situ.
In court papers, Linc USA’s Vice President blamed the company’s position on an aggressive drilling programme that it launched in 2012. Despite ending that programme in 2014 and launching cost-cutting measures, the company missed an interest payment last year.
It was ultimately able to make up the missed payments after receiving a capital injection from its parent company. But with Linc Energy launching its own insolvency proceedings in Australia in April, further assistance was cut off and Linc USA missed another US$24 million interest payment on 30 April.
Last month, administrators at Linc Energy said the company should be liquidated. In March, the company was charged with causing serious environmental harm following a gas leak at one of its plants in Queensland.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
According to BIMCO President, Philippe Louis-Dreyfus the dry bulk market could become profitable again in 2019 – but only if a series of extremely tough and sustained measures are taken by shipowners.
BIMCO has developed a new analysis model to show the actions necessary for shipping markets to recover. Using this model, BIMCO has developed a “zero supply side growth” scenario for recovery of the dry bulk market. This scenario requires shipowners to neutralise the delivery of new ships every year by scrapping an equal amount of capacity from the existing fleet.
Commenting on the new analysis Mr Louis-Dreyfus described the dry bulk market as being in a “terrible” condition. He said: “We cannot expect to be helped by growth in demand, the recovery of the market is wholly and exclusively in the hands of us, the shipowners.”
“The medicine is not going to be easy to take. […] We need to demolish an enormous number of ships and refrain from building new ships.”
BIMCO President Philippe Louis-Dreyfus also insists that scrapping older vessels is not only a good way forward to a better market.
Edited from press release by Angharad Lock
Brazilian mining major, Vale, has concluded the sale of its stake in steelmaker, Companhia Siderurgica do Atlântico (CSA) to thyssenkrupp. Vale had owned 26.87% of CSA. Its sale gives thyssenrkupp full control of the steel plant.
Located in the industrial district of Santa Cruz in the state of Rio de Janeiro, CSA is an integrated steel mill complex that produces steel slabs for export. The plant has the capacity to manufacture up to 5 million tpy of steel.
Vale’s interest in CSA was acquired for a “symbolic price” with an earn-out clause in the event the thyssenkrupp sells CSA. Vale will retain the existing iron ore supply contract for CSA but all other rights and contracts were cancelled by the deal.
“By streamlining the ownership structure, thyssenkrupp is reducing the complexity and risks and increasing its room for maneuver for the further development of CSA,” the German industrial conglomerate said in a press release.
Vale has been undertaking a programme of sales of non-core assets in recent months against a background of falling commodity prices and difficult business conditions for the global mining industry.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
A customer building district heating in China using environmentally friendly coal-fired power plant technology has placed an order with Nederman China for a boiler fluegas cleaning project. The order value is SEK 30 million.
The Nederman solution will provide an efficient low-emission two-stage system with dust filtration and dry scrubbing for additional emission elimination. Nederman will provide design, manufacturing and installation.
“This is a confirmation that we have a strong offering in the market for district heating fluegas cleaning in China. Nederman’s solutions create the opportunity for a more efficient energy supply while the environmental impact could be limited”, said Torbjörn Bäck, SVP Division APAC.
The order was booked in the second quarter of 2016 and delivery of the systems will take place mainly in the third and fourth quarter of 2016.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
US coal production remains significantly lower than last year with figures from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicating production down by almost a third. According to the EIA, coal production totaled 245.2 million short t to the week ending 21 May – 32.5% lower that the same period last year.
Appalachian production is down the most in percentage terms. Coal production to the week ending 21 May totaled 59.4 million short t – 36.9% down from the 94.2 million short t recorded over the same period in 2015.
Within Appalachia, Kentucky production has fallen 37.8% year on year to the week ending 21 May, while northern West Virginia production is down 31.8%. Southern West Virginia saw the biggest fall, dropping 41.1% over the period compared to 2015.
Western Region production – which includes the Powder River Basin – saw the biggest tonnage fall with production year-to-date to 21 May. According to the EIA, the Western region produced just under 140 million short t this year compared to 201.3 million short t in 2015 – a fall of 61.4 million short t or 30.5%.
Meanwhile, Interior Region production – which includes the Illinois Basin – was down 32.6% year on year to 45.8 million t.
Railcar loadings were also significantly down, reflecting the lower coal production. According to the EIA, railcar loadings were down 33.4% to the week ending 21 May.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Jörg Schönewolf , CFO, and Martin Hilbig, CHRO, will be stepping down from thyssenkrupp’s board of Industrial Solutions for personal reasons effective 31 May 2016.
The new CFO will be Stefan Gesing, currently Head of Controlling, Accounting & Risk at thyssenkrupp AG. He joins the management team led by Industrial Solutions CEO Jens Wegmann. A decision on the new CHRO has not been made yet but the company reports it will be made shortly.
Gesing has successfully restructured the Group’s controlling function in recent years. He has been with thyssenkrupp since November 2011 and previously held various management positions within the CFO department of Deutsche Telekom AG. Stefan Gesing will be succeeded as Head of Controlling, Accounting & Risk by Philipp Conze, currently Head of Performance Management and Controlling.
To ensure an orderly handover Jörg Schönewolf and Martin Hilbig will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity for a transitional period.
During his many years working for thyssenkrupp, Schönewolf was a member of the management board of Thyssen Henschel and the Uhde business unit before becoming CFO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in 2012 and subsequently of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, playing a key role in its realignment.
Hilbig began his career in the Group with Krupp Stahl AG as head of personnel at the Rheinhausen steel mill. After heading up executive development at thyssenkrupp Technologies for several years, he was playing a key role as CHRO in the restructuring and realignment of the System Engineering business unit. Hilbig became CHRO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in Hamburg in 2011 and subsequently of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, leading the realignment of their HR operations.
In a media release, thyssenkrupp has thanked Martin Hilbig and Jörg Schönewolf for their work and wishes Stefan Gesing and Philipp Conze great success in their new roles.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Dr Vanessa Guthrie has been elected as chair of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), the first woman to hold the post in the MCA’s forty year history.
Dr Guthrie is the Chief Executive of Toro Energy, which is developing uranium operations in Western Australia. She replaces outgoing chair, Andrew Michelmore, CEO of base metals mining company, MMG.
“Andrew has led the MCA during an extremely volatile and challenging period,” said Dr Guthrie. “Like the sector it represents, the MCA has refocused its efforts on core priority issues and delivered more with less.”
Guthrie also argued that a strong mining sector was “more important than ever” for the Australian economy.
Recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the mining continued to play a key role in Australia’s economic growth. Mining contributed 0.5 percentage points to GDP growth of 1.1% in the March quarter.
Mining production rose by 6.2% from the December 2015 quarter and 11.2% on the March 2015 quarter, according to the ABS.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Tokyo-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd (K Line) has announced the delivery of Corona Victory, an 88 000 DWT coal carrier at Imabari Shipbuilding Co. Ltd’s Marugame Shipyard in Japan.
The new coal carrier is the same type as K Line’s specialised fleet that transports thermal coal, known as the Corona series. The Corona series consists of epoch-making coal carriers equipped with wide beam and shallow draft, which are the most suitable type to enter ports of domestic thermal power plants to discharge cargo.
With this new latest deployment, the Corona series now consists of 19 carriers.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Cockatoo Coal has left administration after effectuating a deed of company arrangement (DOCA), the company said in an announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange. Day to day management of the company has now reverted back to the company’s directors.
As part of the DOCA, the company has issued an additional 10 billion ordinary shares. Six billion of these will be issued to Boston-based Liberty Metal & Mining Holdings for a cash consideration of AUS$6 million. This cash will be used to fund the establishment fee payable under the new debt facility included in the DOCA.
The remaining four billion new shares will be issued to JS Baralaba Wonbindi to ensure that its related company, JFE Steel Corp., enters into an agreement “documenting certain waivers and amendments in relation to an offtake agreements with the company and its subsidiaries.”
As described by the DOCA, Cockatoo Coal has also entered into a new debt facility, drawing down AUS$100 million. About AUS$73.1 million of this will be used to meet amounts payable to creditors. The remainder will be available to Cockatoo Coal for working capital purposes.
Following the departure of Peter Kane as CEO in mid-May, Brian Wyatt is acting as Interim CEO until a permanent replacement announced.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has successfully commissioned another 520 MW coal-fired thermal generating unit in Andhra Pradesh, India.
The unit has been commissioned at the 2 x 520 MW Vizag thermal power project of Hinduja National Power Co. Ltd (HNPCL), Visakhapatnam.
In Visakhapatnam district, four 500 MW thermal sets supplied and executed by BHEL are already in successful operation at NTPC’s Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station. The 2 x 520 MW Vizag thermal power project has been executed by BHEL on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis.
This project is located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It uses single flow condenser and sea water as main cooling water. Though the project was severely affected by the Hudhud cyclone in 2014 while it was under construction, all out efforts were made by BHEL and HNPCL, which resulted in curtailing delays and commissioning both units.
BHEL has also recently secured orders for setting up two supercritical thermal power projects involving one unit each of the country’s highest rating 800 MW sets in Andhra Pradesh. The projects are 1 x 800 MW Dr. Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station (Dr NTTPS) Stage-V of Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corp. Ltd (APGENCO) and 1 x 800 MW Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station (SDSTPS) Stage-II, popularly known as Krishnapatnam Supercritical Thermal Power Project, of Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Ltd (APPDCL).
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Andrey Slivchenko, Chief Financial Officer of Mechel PAO, a leading Russian mining and metals company, is leaving the company following the completion of his two-year contract.
“We are deeply grateful to Andrey Slivchenko for his huge contribution into our efforts on stabilising the company’s financial situation. Andrey joined our team at a very complicated time and has well discharged the duties he was tasked with. We wish him luck in his future projects,” Mechel PAO’s Chief Executive Officer Oleg Korzhov commented.
Mechel is an international mining and steel company, which employs over 67 000 people. Its products are marketed in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, steel, rolled products, ferroalloys, heat and electric power. All of its enterprises work in a single production chain, from raw materials to high value-added products.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
The JORC coal resource estimate for Stanmore Coal’s Clifford Project has increased by 67% on the back of further exploration work conducted last year. The project resource now stands at 620 million t.
The exploration work was conducted in conjunction with Stanmore’s funding partner, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals Corp. (JOGMEC) and included 29 rotary holes and 16 partially cored holes within the Grange and Liberty areas of the Clifford Project.
The Clifford Project is located in Queensland’s Surat Basin next to Glencore’s Wandoan coal project. It contains thermal coal with the potential for opencast extraction.
The next phase in project development with JOGMEC will include desktop studies to progress the mining and infrastructure assessment of the project.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Elsewedy Electric, a leading Integrated Energy Solution Provider in the Middle East and Africa, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in a consortium with Japan’s MARUBENI Corp. and the government of Egypt to build a new coal-fired power plant in West Matrouh on an engineering, procurement and construction plus Finance (EPC+F ) basis.
The MoU was been signed in Tokyo, Japan, along the proceedings of the JAPAN-EGYPT Business Council inaugurated by the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Japan’s State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr. Yosuke Takagi, and in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Dr. Mohamed Shaker Elmarkabi.
The project is located on the Mediterranean coast, west of Mersa Matrouh, by Sidi Shabib – Eldhabaa.
The coal-fired power plant will be built in two phases, each with a capacity of approximately 2000 MW. The project is planned to desalinate approx. 360 000 m3 of sea water daily. It is reported that port development and land works related to the import, handling and storage of coal shipments may be included too.
The consortium will use ultra-super critical Japanese clean coal technology, which complies with applicable environmental international standards and the Egyptian laws and regulations.
Elsewedy Electric’s scope of work is projected to include engineering, procurement and installation of balance of plant in addition to the erection and installation of the boilers and steam turbines. In addition, ELSEWEDY ELECTRIC will be responsible for the site preparation, levelling and the civil, construction and site utilities for the project.
Ahmed Elsewedy, CEO of Elsewedy Electric, commented: “We are pleased to announce the collaboration among Elsewedy Electric, Marubeni Corp., the Egyptian government and lending institutions to develop Egypt’s coal-fired power program. We are proud to continue our successful participation to the development of Egypt’s power sector and intend to undertake a number of large projects not only in power generation and electricity transmission and substations business, but also across various infrastructure sectors.”
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Polo Resources’ subsidiary, Polo Investments, has entered into a secured SGD5 million redeemable convertible note with Universal Coal Resources, providing funds for Universal to acquire an indirect 75% interest in PT Transcoal Minergy Coal Project (TCM).
TCM is an Indonesian company and owner of a mining licence for a mining concession area in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. The TCM Coal Project is focused on development a 2 million tpy underground mine, producing 6200 kcal/kg GAR bituminous coal.
The project’s current JORC resource is 129 million t located in the southern area of the concession although further drilling the northern area of the mining concession may increase the resource base.
TCM’s production permit extends to April 2028. A full final feasibility study and forestry approval is sill required before mine development can be started. The project will use existing coal transportation infrastructure, including a 50 km haul road to the major coal river port at Batulicin.
The funding will also allow Universal to progress its targeted listing on the Singapore Stock Exchange Catalist Board.
Under the terms of the note, Polo may convert any outstanding principle and interest on the note into an equity stake in Universal at any time up to 18 months from drawdown or upon receipt of approval in principle to list. Unless converted, the note is repayable 18 months from drawdown.
Universal Coal Resources and Pan Asia Corp. originally announced an agreement tor Universal to buy Pan Asia’s stake in TCM last June for SGD30 million. On May 9 2016, Pan Asia said it had agreed to take a stake in Universal Coal on completion of its Singapore listing valued at SGD30 million as payment for its stake in TCM.
Universal Coal Resources is incorporated in Singapore and is unrelated to ASX-listed Universal Coal Plc.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
The new 50/65 R 51 MICHELIN XMINE D2 Long Cycle L5** has been launched specifically to meet the needs of opencast mine operators who require higher speed capabilities from their loader tyres, while still maintaining high levels of damage resistance and reliability.
To operate at maximum efficiency, surface mine operators are demanding higher speed capabilities from the tyres they use in their ‘load and carry’ operations. This requires different tyre specifications that allow a higher distance-per-hour capability and as a result, Michelin has designed the new MICHELIN XMINE D2 LC L5** tyre. This new tyre is able to cover a distance of up to 10 km each hour compared to the current tyre’s limit of 6 km each hour (MICHELIN XMINE D2 SR).
This 66% increase in operating speed has been made possible due to a new tread compound that effectively limits heat buildup within the tyre. The new tread compound is also resistant to damage, leading to an overall reduction in machine downtime, improved efficiency and therefore cost savings for the operator.
In addition to the new tread compound, the MICHELIN XMINE D2 LC L5** features an extremely robust 116 mm-deep tread design, which resists cuts, impact damage and wear. This is coupled with a tough radial steel casing to resist punctures and together these components optimise tyre life.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
An increase in the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) in April saw scrapping rates tail off, after record quarterly demolition figures in 1Q16.
“With BDI hitting an all-time low in February 2016, the dry bulk market saw a quarterly record volume of demolished ships in the wake of it,” said BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst, Peter Sand.
“Subsequently, demolition activity came to a halt as BDI increased from March to a peak at 703 on 25 April 2016,” Sand continued.

Dry bulk demolition and Baltic Dry Index. Source: BIMCO. Clarksons.
According to Sand, the shipping industry “needs to break the trend of halting demolition activity as soon as the BDI improves marginally,” if it is to see a long-term improvement in market fundamentals.
“We can only improve the fundamental market conditions if ship-owners are keeping demolition activity up consistently,” concluded Sand.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
The average demolition age of dry bulk carriers fell its lowest in five years, according to international shipping association, BIMCO, on the back of record scrapping rates in 1Q16.
“The decrease in ship demolition age continued from 2015,” said BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst, Peter Sand. “At an average of 23.3 yrs today, demolition age has decreased by 20.5% over the past four years.”

Average demolition age. (Source: BIMCO, Clarksons).
The average demolition of most ship sizes has fallen significantly since 2014. Capesize ships have the lowest average demolition age at about 20.5 yrs, down from around 24.5 yrs in 2014.
It is handmax and panamax ships that have seen the biggest falls recent, however, with panamax average demolition ages now not far behind capesize at around 21 yrs and handymax average demolition ages now well under 23 yrs compared to around 27 yrs in 2014.
Only handysize demolition ages remain significantly higher than the industry average at around 29 yrs. Handysize scrapping rates have also fallen off significantly in 2016 at 9.5% of total scrapping over the first four months of the year compared to 18.1% over the same period in 2015.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Sandvik has signed an agreement to form a joint venture with Lingong Group Jinan Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, in which Sandvik has the majority share, for the production and sales of opencast and underground mining equipment, targeting mid-market customers.
The joint venture will be established following customary regulatory approvals. It is planned to be operational in 2H16 and will be a part of the new business area Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology.
The joint venture will focus on sourcing, assembly, sales and service of surface drills, underground loaders and underground trucks. The products will be designed for the specific needs of mid-market customers and will be sold under an independent brand. While the initial focus will be to supply the products for the Chinese market, the goal of the joint venture will also be to become the leading midmarket mining equipment supplier for other selected parts of the world.
“This joint venture agreement is in line with Sandvik’s strategy to develop a strong foothold in the fast expanding mid-market for mining equipment. I am very excited to make this important move to expand Sandvik’s mid-market offering with an experienced industrial partner like Lingong”, commented Lars Engström, President, Sandvik Mining.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
The widespread rollout of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is included in many projections of how to limit the temperature increase to 2°C. But to date there are very few operational projects. There are a number of reasons for the slow spread of these technologies primarily designed to reduce emissions of CO2 from fossil fuel fired power plants. A major one is the cost: for example, the cost of electricity can increase by up to 80% when applying commercial capture technologies to coal-fired power plant. This means that CCS is only likely to proceed in the most favourable economic and legislative environments, with a CO2 price as high as US$60 per tonne.
The main reason the existing technologies are so costly is because of the large amount of energy they use – up to a third of the plant’s gross power output. So much research has focused on raising the efficiency of the gas separation processes which are fundamental to nearly all forms of carbon capture.
Toby Lockwood of the IEA Clean Coal Centre has studied the next generation of carbon capture technologies, which aim to support a more competitive form of low carbon, dispatchable energy.
Post-combustion capture
In post-combustion capture processes, CO2 is separated from standard coal flue gases, traditionally with amine solvents. Recently, novel liquid solvents, dry sorbents and membranes have been investigated as alternatives. Most new solvent systems aim to limit the energy consumption of the CO2 desorption step by reducing the strength of the interaction with CO2 or using a phase separation or precipitation step to reduce the thermal mass of the CO2-rich product. These systems tend to offer only incremental cost reductions and have not yet been tested at a large pilot scale.
The use of engineered forms of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase to accelerate the reaction of CO2 with environmentally benign carbonate solvents shows promise. It means lower-grade heat can be used and brings capture costs down to below US$40 per tonne. Solid sorbents also have potential, although scale up to reactor dimensions is technically challenging.
A number of medium-scale pilot plants have demonstrated effective capture using vacuum pressure swing sorbent processes and low-cost sorbents, but most current research has focused on temperature swing adsorption with more CO2-selective materials as a cheaper prospect for high CO2 capture rates at large scales. However, the challenge of achieving efficient heat transfer in solid systems requires novel reactor designs.
Harnessing some of the heat released in CO2 adsorption for the desorption step is a key strategy which has promised capture costs approaching US$30 per tonne. CO2-selective polymer membranes avoid steam extraction or chemical waste, and could be scaled up in a straight-forward modular fashion. However, the capture rate is limited by practically achievable pressure gradients and two separation stages are therefore required.
One approach is to use a flow of combustion air to help drive one separation stage, which provides CO2-enriched flue gas for the principal stage. Nevertheless, the cost of most membrane systems is likely to exceed 40 US$/t where 90% CO2 capture is required, but could become much more competitive at lower capture rates.
Some notable post-combustion capture concepts allow the capture plant to generate its own power, which mitigates the energy consumption of the gas separation step. Currently demonstrated at 1 ? 2 MWth, calcium looping is a form of sorbent-based capture where sorbent regeneration takes place in its own oxyfuel-fired boiler. At a similar scale, gas-fuelled molten carbonate fuel cells can act as CO2 separating devices, while generating electrical power.
Pre-combustion capture
In pre-combustion capture, CO2 is removed from a high-pressure mixture of CO2 and hydrogen obtained from coal-derived syngas, leaving the hydrogen to power a gas turbine. The established process is complex, but the high partial pressures of CO2 offer greater potential for the efficient use of sorbent- and membrane-based separations at high temperatures. In particular, the CO2 capture step can be effectively combined with the prior water-gas-shift necessary to convert CO to CO2, helping drive the reaction to completion and reduce consumption of steam reagent. These systems remain limited to small-scale trials, but could bring capture costs down to the region of US$30 per tonne.
Oxyfuel combustion
By substituting combustion air for oxygen, oxyfuel combustion produces a relatively pure stream of CO2 for sequestration. Current research exploits characteristics of the process for higher efficiency power generation. In particular, pressurised reactor concepts with minimal flue gas recycle have been developed which could reduce the efficiency penalty to below 5% points. Even higher efficiencies are possible by firing coal syngas in high-pressure oxyfuel gas turbine cycles such as the Allam Cycle, which has estimated lower power generation costs than unabated coal plants.
Chemical looping combustion instead delivers oxygen to the fuel in the form of a solid oxide ‘carrier’ material, so avoids any gas separation step and enables high efficiencies and low costs. For solid fuel applications in particular, a low cost carrier material is essential. Pilots beyond the current 3 MWth level are being actively pursued, and costs below US$30 per tonne are estimated at full scale.
Conclusion
For new coal plant applications, technologies which inherently incorporate CO2 capture with power generation, such as chemical looping and the Allam Cycle, are the most promising routes towards a step change in CCS efficiency and cost, and could feasibly be scaled up in the next five years.
For retrofit to the world’s substantial existing coal fleet, a range of post-combustion capture technologies offers potential gains over existing amine-based technologies, but as these are relatively proven and established, they may be hard to displace. However, considerable variation in site-specific factors means a range of technologies will have a role. Many novel materials processes have impressive results at the laboratory and bench-scale, but overcoming the barriers to larger scale demonstration is notoriously challenging. Carbon capture at US$30 per tonne appears to be fundamentally achievable by a variety of methods and could provide a major impetus to widespread adoption of CCS, but significant government support will be required if the most promising technologies are to progress to the large scales necessary for coal power application.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Dassault Systèmes has announced the release of its latest version of GEOVIA Minex. This integrated geology and mine planning software solution for coal and other stratified deposit helps ensure resources are evaluated accurately and mined efficiently.
Minex 6.5 offers a new lithology symbol tool to support improved logging standards and to aid in accurate and timely geology reporting by enabling Minex users to import customised lithology symbols for borehole plotting.
Geologists worldwide can customise their reporting by importing any user-selected/designed .dxf image as a coal lithology symbol, enabling standardisation and consistency across the organisation. Furthermore, geologists in Australia can now import all 213 ‘CoalLog – the Australian Logging Standard’ lithology symbols in .dxf format for both faster reporting and compliance with government regulations.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
According to a new study from Duke University, Appalachian coal could be a new source of rare earth elements. Taking samples of coal ash from Midwest power plants, researchers found that Appalachian coal contained the highest amount of rare earth elements at 591 mg/kg.
Coal from the Powder River Basin and Illinois Basin contained 403 mg/kg and 337 mg/kg respectively.
But when researchers used a common industrial extraction technique – dissolving it nitric acid – to remove the rare earth materials from the coal, Appalachian coal saw the lowest extraction percentages with PRB coal recording the highest.
An enhanced extraction technique – “roasting” with an alkali agent before dissolving it in nitric acid – showed a marked improvement in extraction efficiency – but would be expensive to use on an industrial scale.
“For any future venture to begin an extraction programme, the recovery method will need to be tailored to the specific chemistry of the coal ash being used,” said Prof. Heileen Hsu-Kim of Duke University.
“The trick will be exploring our options and developing technologies to drive the costs down. That way we can tap into this vast resource that is currently just sitting around in disposal pond, Prof. Hsu-Kim concluded.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Pennsylvania Coal Alliance CEO John Pippy has indicated that decisions regarding Pennsylvania’s energy landscape should be appropriately left to the Commonwealth’s state and local officials and not federal agencies using regulations to force policy decisions at the state level.
Pippy is specifically referring to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP), which is currently on hold following the US Supreme Court’s February stay on the regulation.
“These regulations have become less about setting achievable industry goals and more about forcing federal oversight into areas which state primacy has previously presided,” Pippy wrote in an op ed earlier this year.
Currently, the stay on the CPP is in effect until legal challenges have been determined. At the same time, the decision halts the timeline on state plan submissions, which initially were due this September. Pippy has cautioned legislators on early compliance with CPP, pointing out that developing a compliance plan to meet the stricter carbon emissions standard will be costly.
“This is not just retrofitting existing plants with available technologies, but taking offline existing power-producing plants, replacing them with less reliable and more costly new sources and building out the transmission infrastructure statewide,” Pippy said.
As one of the nation’s top energy-producing states with a lot to lose by rushing compliance, Pippy said that Pennsylvania should prudently apply for and take advantage of the two-year extension being offered.
Furthermore, given Pennsylvania’s current fiscal status, Pippy said there are serious concerns regarding the resources that would be wasted attempting to develop a compliance plan, at the expense of the taxpayers, for a rule that may significantly be altered or thrown out entirely by the federal courts.
He added that the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance — on behalf of the Commonwealth’s energy economy, the men and women whose jobs are supported by the coal industry and every state resident and business that relies on affordable electricity — has urged the Gov. Tom Wolf’s Administration to cease all processes for compliance plan development until the final legality of the CPP is determined.
“Unfortunately, comments from the Wolf Administration that the rule is still ‘in effect’ demonstrate either an utter lack of understanding of the legal significance of a stay, or a complete disregard for the ruling of United States Supreme Court,” Pippy said.
“If the CPP is found to be unlawful, Pennsylvania will be left with strict, federally enforceable guidelines for its energy policy, crippling the economy beyond competitive repair and disadvantaging it to other states that waited and weighed the cost of compliance,” Pippy concluded.
The US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) undertook special impact inspections at ten coal mines in April, issuing 90 citations and three orders, resulting in the temporary closure of a Kentucky coal mine.
The three unwarrantable failure orders were given to Inspiration Resources’ Mine No. 5 in Pike County, Kentucky. As a result of these violations, the inspectors ordered the mine to close 3400 ft of roadways and its working section. The closure lasted two days while the operator corrected the violations.
The three failure orders were given for an inadequate pre-shift examination, failure to water down roadways to prevent dust and too-wide entries on the mechanised mining unit. “These violations exposed miners to serious hazards associated with roof falls, equipment accidents and respirable coal dust,” MSHA said in a news release.
Inspectors also issued 15 citations to No. 5 mine for hazards associated with mine fires, electrical shock, inadequate ventilation, explosive environments and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (black lung).
Other mines included in the special impact inspections were Powhatan No. 6 mine in Ohio, American Eagle mine and Gateway Eagle mine in West Virginia, Huffman Highwall mine in Virginia, Rockhampton #3 and River View mine in Kentucky, Mach #1 mine in Illinois, Bridger underground coal mine in Wyoming and Concord mine in Alabama.
Begun in April 2010, the special impact inspections involve mines that the MSHA consider to require “increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history of particular compliance concerns.” Since then, the agency has conducted 1142 such inspections, issuing 16 226 citations, 1313 orders and 60 safeguards.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Edenville Energy plc has announced the company has made significant progress to its Rukwa coal to power project, located in southwest Tanzania.
Edenville has indicated that over the past months, several ares of the power plant have made major progress. A new Tanzanian company, Edenville Power Tanzania Ltd (EPTL) has been established to advance the power project. EPTL is 100% owned and controlled by Edenville and will be the principal vehicle to advance the power plant along its path to development, construction and ultimately operation.
The project concept note (PCN) on the power plant development, which started in July 2015 as part of the formal review process, has subsequently been reviewed and accepted by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd (Tanesco). Updated documents, including the PCN, have now been reviewed and accepted by Tanesco, which allows both the company and Tanesco to move to the next stage of the power plant development process.
Registration of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate application and project brief for the power plant has been completed with the National Environment Management Council (NEMC). The power plant project is now registered with NEMC and is currently proceeding with the process towards full environmental compliance. This includes submission of the appropriate details concerning the fuel source for the project, i.e. Edenville’s coal deposit at its Rukwa site.
As the coal mine pre-development work is now significantly advanced with both an EIA and mining licence already granted, Edenville expects to complete the NEMC requirements on the fuel source in short order. Following this, work will be concentrated on completing the EIA application to gain full environmental compliance for the power plant. The company’s environmental consultants, Tansheq, are already involved in this process and Edenville has available additional resources for this task should they be required.
Rockface Capital, a consultant to the company, has made significant progress in its work to find suitable partners and capital to advance a combined coal-to-power project. Rockface is in current discussions with a number of power plant developers, all with extensive expertise in coal-fired thermal power plant development. The groups have capital available to contribute to the cost of bringing the project to construction. Discussions are underway with development groups from China, Korea, USA and Europe. Site visits with interested parties are now commencing.
Rufus Short, CEO and Chairman of Edenville, commented: “Over the past several months, we have achieved several key milestones, with the company, alongside Tanesco, establishing the framework to move the Rukwa coal to power project forward with the completion of the PCN review process.”
Short continued: “The project has now reached the critical point where the technical, financial and commercial requirements can be completed, in line with the timeframes and conditions set out by the Tanzanian authorities, as we also seek to secure the project finance. The completion of both the EIA and Mining Licence for the mine allows the power plant section of the project to proceed at a faster rate as a large proportion of the obligations concerning the fuel source have been completed.”
“I look forward to updating our shareholders with further news as enter this exciting phase for the project,” concluded Short.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Arch Coal has sold its stake in the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals in Longview, Washington, to Lighthouse Resources. The deal gives Lighthouse Resources, formerly known as Ambre Energy, full ownership of the project. Arch Coal will retain long-term throughput rights at the port, as well as nominating a representative to the advisory board.
“We view this transaction as the next logical step in Arch’s involvement in Millennium,” said Deck Slone, Senior Vice President at Arch Coal and Member of Millennium Board. “Given the momentum Millennium has achieved and Arch’s sharp focus on capital conservation at present, this is the right time for us to transition away from the role of co-developer and towards the long-envisioned role of future user.”
Arch Coal is currently in the process of restructuring after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier in the year under the weight of a US$6.5 billion load and a collapsing demand for coal in the US and key export markets, including China.
Despite this, Lighthouse and Arch appear to be committed to opening an export route for Powder River Basin (PRB) coal into Asia: “Lighthouse and Arch have pioneered an important development in Northwest infrastructure,” said Bill Chapman, CEO of Millennium. “Their ongoing commitment demonstrates the strength of our project’s long-term fundamentals.”
“We look forward to completing the permitting process, beginning contraction and bringing much-needed jobs and trade to southwest Washington by connecting US coal exporters and the Asian markets,” concluded Chapman.
Yet there remains key questions of the viability of US coal exports into Asia. Earlier this year, Wood Mackanzie’s Research Director for Global Thermal Coal Markets, Andy Roberts, called the continued development of new coal export terminals on the Pacific Coast a “miscalculation”.
“Successfully exporting low-cost coal from frontier regions, notably the PRB, to Asia requires producers to exploit one of two conditions,” wrote Roberts in a blog post. “Either they must satisfy demand that Asian producers are unable to meet or they must outcompete Asian producers for their existing market. But Asian demand has weakened to the point that coal from frontier regions won’t be needed for many years. To sell coal in Asia, therefore, PRB producers must now out-compete Indonesian producers for existing market. And in the new coal price paradigm, they cannot.”
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Paringa Resources has begun the mine permitting process for its Buck Creek No. 2 mine in Ohio. The mine required standard permits for mining, surface facilities, refuse storage and transportation.
“We are very pleased to have already begun the permitting process, which should be finalised allowing construction to begin at the No. 2 mine during 2Q17,” said Paringa’s President and CEO, David Gay.
Paringa recently announced it had successfully renegotiated its sales agreements with utilities Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities to allow delivery of coal from No. 2 mine with future sales totaling US$205 million.
The sales agreements account for almost 60% of No. 2 mine’s annual output over the five years covered by the agreements and “significantly de-risk the project for potential financiers,” the company said.
Paringa has appointed Associated Engineers to complete the permitting process for No. 2 mine. Associated Engineers has “significant experience” in permitting new coal mines in the Illinois Basin, including Buck Creek’s No. 1 mine.
Despite significant falls in US coal demand over recent years, the future of Illinois Basin coal remains relatively bright. According to the Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2016, the Illinois Basin will overtake Appalachia to become the country’s second largest coal-producing region by 2020.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Hume Coal’s commitment to the Southern Highlands has been reinforced through the recent submission of the mining lease application (MLA) to the New South Wales State government.
Project Director Greig Duncan said this is a significant milestone as the Hume Coal project advances through the approval process.
“The recent submission of the MLA is another step forward for Hume Coal as our staff and consultants work determinedly preparing the Environmental Impact Statement for release later this year” Duncan said.
The low-impact mining operation will utilise industry-leading technologies, making this operation one of the country’s most innovative mining operations, ensuring the project delivers social, economic and environmental sustainability.
“We will continue to communicate and consult with the community as the Hume Coal project progresses through the approvals process,” concluded Duncan.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), over the past five years, US electricity generation from biomass across all sectors grew from 56 TWh in 2010 to 64 TWh in 2015. Much of this growth occurred in southern states such as Virginia, Florida and Georgia. In 2015, electricity generation from biomass across all sectors accounted for 11.3% of renewable electricity generation and 1.6% of total electricity generation in the US.
Nearly half of the electricity generated from biomass in 2015 was at industrial facilities outside of the electric power sector, such as pulp and paper mills. Within the electric power sector, biomass accounted for 6.3% of renewable electricity and 0.8% of total US electricity generation.
Electricity generation from biomass uses several types of fuel, including forest wastes from clearing and thinning, sawmill residues and urban landscape trimmings. These fuels can have widely varying physical properties and moisture contents, meaning biomass electricity generation plants often face unique fuel-handling challenges. Many power plants that burn biomass are co-firing plants, meaning that they use biomass as a partial substitute fuel.
Several states, especially those in the South Census region, have increased their electricity generation from biomass. These states have ample forest resources, generally poor wind resources and relatively unfavourable solar resources (compared to the Southwest), making biomass among the more readily available renewable energy resources in the region.
Virginia has a statewide programme to convert coal plants to biomass, with several plants that converted during 2013. Three of these plants, each rated at 51 MW and operated by Dominion Power, are located in Alta Vista, Hopewell and Southampton. The conversions to biomass are part of Dominion’s commitment to achieve Virginia’s voluntary goal of generating 15% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Also in 2013, the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) commissioned a 50 MW wood-waste-biomass plant in South Boston, Virginia. In 2012, Miller-Coors Brewing also opened a biomass-based electricity plant in Elkton, Virginia, to dispose of brewing wastes. Finally, an industrial plant in Altavista switched from natural gas to biomass as its primary fuel and upgraded capacity to add wood solids to its fuel mix.
Increases in electricity generation from biomass in Georgia and Florida were each due primarily to a single new plant coming online. In Georgia, the 55 MW Piedmont Green Power plant began operation in 2013, fuelled by urban wood waste and mill and logging residues. Georgia Power built the plant to improve its fuel diversity.
Florida opened one of the largest new biomass plants in the US: the 102.5 MW Gainesville Renewable Energy Center. The plant began generating power commercially in December 2013, but performance has not been consistent, with two major shutdowns in 2015.
The western part of the US also had notable growth in biomass between 2010 and 2015, increasing electricity generation from biomass by 15% over that period. Most of the growth in the West comes from a few large plants in California that are helping the state meet its renewable electricity target.
Edited from source by Harleigh Hobbs
Dertje Meijer will be stepping down as CEO of Port of Amsterdam, effective 1 August 2016.
She has been with Port of Amsterdam since 2001 and has made many accomplishments for the organisation.
“After being with Port of Amsterdam for fifteen years and serving for seven years as CEO, the time has come for me to make way for a successor. The successful corporatisation in 2013, the new large sea lock currently under construction and the detailed strategy for the years ahead mean Port of Amsterdam is ready for the future. I have decided to now begin looking for a new challenge that suits this phase of my life,” Meijer commented in a media release from Port of Amsterdam.
The Supervisory Board supports Dertje Meijer in her decision to leave Port of Amsterdam and is grateful to her for the manner in which she has led the organisation during a complex transition.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Donald J. Trump will head to the heart of America’s and gas boom on Thursday to unveil details of his policies on energy and the environment.
Speaking at an oil industry conference in Bismarck, N.D., Mr. Trump is expected to embrace standard Republican calls for more fossil fuel drilling and fewer environmental regulations, while possibly elaborating on his positions on .
Mr. Trump has backed some energy policies, such as requiring more ethanol production, that are widely criticized by energy experts. He has made contradictory remarks on alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar. And he has made pledges — for example, to restore lost jobs in coal mining — that essentially defy free-market forces.
“Many of his proposals thus far don’t seem to appreciate the complex forces that drive the energy system,” said Richard G. Newell, director of the .
Mr. Trump’s decision to set his speech in North Dakota was politically strategic. He is fewer than 30 delegates shy of clinching the Republican presidential nomination, and North Dakota’s 28 unpledged delegates could get him to the magic number.
A central question confronting the next president will be climate change. Mr. Trump has forcefully denied the established science that it is caused by humans, saying in a radio interview last year, “I’m not a believer in man-made global warming.”
Mr. Trump has said he would undo President Obama’s climate change policies, particularly a set of Environmental Protection Agency regulations to curb planet-warming emissions . Of the E.P.A. itself, he “to get rid of it in almost every form.”
He has said that as president, he would renegotiate the , a global agreement committing nearly every nation to lowering greenhouse gas pollution. And, while demand for American coal has declined, he declared while campaigning in West Virginia, “We’re going to get those miners back to work.”
Interactive Feature | Short Answers to Hard Questions About Climate Change The issue can be overwhelming. The science is complicated. We get it. This is your cheat sheet.
But, as , Mr. Trump’s organization cited global warming and its consequences in a permit it filed to build a wall to protect against erosion at his seaside golf resort in County Clare, Ireland. And in an environmental impact statement from a smaller project in 2003, his organization also cited “sea level rise” and “global warming” as reasons to build a small cobble and rock wall at three sections of a beach.
Whether Mr. Trump could fulfill his energy pledges is an open question. The centerpiece of Mr. Obama’s climate change rules in federal courts. If, as is widely expected, the case goes to the Supreme Court, the justices, rather than the president, will determine its fate. But if elected president, Mr. Trump could nominate a new Supreme Court justice to help strike down the rule.
Dismantling the E.P.A. would be trickier. The president does not have unilateral authority to eliminate an agency, and even proposals to limit its authority would have to go through Congress. And simply cutting its authority would not end its responsibility to carry out existing environmental laws.
“Even if Congress did vote to eliminate the E.P.A., they would cause huge problems unless they also went back and redid some of these laws,” said Jeffrey R. Holmstead, who was an E.P.A. official under President George W. Bush. “You would cause quite a train wreck if you were to simply do away with the E.P.A.”
While Mr. Trump says he would renegotiate the Paris agreement, its fate may be determined before the next president takes office. Once the accord is ratified by 55 countries representing 55 percent of global emissions, it will enter into legal force, and any country wishing to withdraw would have to wait four years to do so. However, if the deal has not been ratified by January 2017, a new American president could withdraw immediately. For that reason, many countries are racing to ratify the deal this year.
It is unclear how Mr. Trump could restore lost jobs in the coal industry. As domestic coal demand has declined, companies have laid off thousands of miners. But economists say that shift is driven by market forces: The boom led power companies to buy cheaper gas rather than coal.
“Most analysts would say that coal is hurting because natural gas prices have collapsed,” said Robert McNally, the president of the Rapidan Group, an energy consulting firm, and a senior energy official in the Bush administration. “ would have to find a way to raise natural gas prices.”
On renewable energy, Mr. Trump has been inconsistent.
In 2005, he wrote on his blog, “I wish that the United States would just get on the ball with alternative energy,” and suggested that funding for the space program “should be redirected into research that would develop other ways of fueling our nation.”
Graphic | Where Trump Breaks With the Republican Party Donald J. Trump is set to be the Republican standard-bearer, but when it comes to some of his policies, he is out of sync with many Republican leaders in Congress.
But in his 2015 book, “Crippled America,” Mr. Trump called the government’s push to develop renewable energy “another big mistake.”
Yet while campaigning in Iowa, where makes up more than 25 percent of electricity, he said he was “O.K. with” subsidies for wind power.
Mr. Trump also sought to court Iowa voters by supporting corn-based ethanol. Current law requires annual production of 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol. This has benefited Iowa’s farmers but, experts say, harmed the rest of the country, raising food and fuel costs while yielding little environmental gain. A bipartisan coalition of federal lawmakers has pushed to repeal the mandate. But while campaigning in Iowa, Mr. Trump said he was “100 percent” behind the mandate and would even raise it.
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Mr. Newell of Duke University. “It’s already so ambitious that it’s been difficult for industry to meet.”
Over all, experts remain skeptical of Mr. Trump’s command of the complexities of the global energy economy.
“I have no idea whether he’ll show the same mastery of international oil markets that he does of women’s issues,” said Tom Kloza, an analyst at the Oil Price Information Service.
This month, Mr. Trump met with Robert E. Murray, the chief executive of Murray Energy, a major coal producer, seeking policy advice. He appeared befuddled by a question about liquid natural gas, according to , and asked, “What’s L.N.G.?”
Mr. Trump has tripped over other policy terms as well.
In a recent Fox News interview, he said, “Department of Environmental, I mean, the D.E.P. is killing us environmentally,” evidently referring to the E.P.A.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump’s campaign was still finishing work on his remarks and deciding whether he would deliver them from a teleprompter, as he has with other major policy speeches. In recent weeks, he has delivered several policy addresses in Washington, including before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and another .
Fire fighters were called out to tackle a “small fire” at the coal processing plant at the Hazelwood mine in Victoria, Australia, on 23 May, according to a County Fire Authority (CFA) media release. The fire was detected in the roof of a bunker, where coal prepared for power generation.
The CFA brought is specialist equipment to help extinguish the fire, the location of which made it difficult to access, said CFA Operations Officer John Radford.
According to the mine’s owner, French utility, Engie, operators had detected smouldering in the pulverised coal in the rafters of the roof line of the bunker at about 4PM. The incident was declared safe at 9PM.
“There was no risk to personnel,” the company said. “Coal supply and power station operations were not affected during the incident.”
The Hazelwood mine feeds coal to the neighbouring Hazelwood power plant, which provides around a quarter of Victoria’s power supply.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.