Bankrupt US coal company, Walter Energy, has announced the close of the sale of most of “substantially all” of its core assets, comprising its Alabama coal assets, to Warrior Met Coal LLC – a company owned by the company’s first lien creditors.
The transaction marks the sale of almost all of Walter’s US operating assets to third parties under the bankruptcy court supervised sales process. Earlier this year, the company completed the sale of its non-core assets to affiliates of ERP Compliant Fuels and Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund.
The company’s remaining assets include Walter Energy Canada Holdings, which owns assets in Canada and South Wales, UK. In December last year, Walter Canada was granted creditor protection under Canada’s Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCCA).
The CCCA filing allows the continuing of Walter Canada’s operations while the company looks for buyers of its Canadian and British holdings – which were not a part of the company’s Chapter 11 filing in the US. The company’s Canadian and UK mines are currently idled as a result of market conditions.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Foresight Energy, a leading producer and marketer of thermal coal controlling over 3 billion t of coal reserves in the Illinois Basin, has reported that it has received permission from the Mine Safety and Health Administration to temporarily seal the entire Deer Run mine, near Hillsboro, Illinois, the US, to reduce or eliminate oxygen flow paths into the mine as part of its continuing efforts to extinguish the fire that began in March 2015.
The process of sealing the mine will begin immediately. At this time, Foresight is uncertain as to when production will resume at its Deer Run Mine.
Foresight currently owns four mining complexes (Williamson, Sugar Camp, Hillsboro and Macoupin), with four longwall systems, and the Sitran river terminal on the Ohio River.
Edited from various sources by Harleigh Hobbs
US coal company, Corsa Coal, is beginning to see signs of life in the metallurgical coal and steel markets, according to its latest results statement, covering the full year and 4Q15 period.
“We are beginning to see signs of improvement in the metallurgical coal and steel markets with domestic [US] steel prices recovering and spot seaborne metallurgical coal prices rising in early 2016,” said George Dethlefsen, Corsa’s CEO.
“We believe that supply cuts will serve as a catalyst for improved metallurgical coal pricing 2016 and expect to see the domestic market recover faster than the seaborne market, given the extreme financial distress of metallurgical coal producers and the potential for significant supply disruption,” Dethlefsen continued.
A number of large US metallurgical coal producers – including Alpha Natural Resources and Arch Coal – have entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection over the last 12 months. This has created a situation where further supply cuts are likely in the near future, while also leaving producers highly vulnerable to supply disruptions as mining companies defer CAPEX and fail to invest to reserves or permitting efforts.
Corsa’s coal production bases are in geographical proximity to over 50% of US coke production capacity, the company said, as well as a short rail distance and multiple options to access export terminals at Baltimore. This location boosts “Corsa’s ability to take advantage of any recoveries in coal pricing,” the company said.
Corsa expects metallurgical coal sales of 600 000 – 700 000 short t from its Northern Appalachian (NAPP) mines. The NAPP operations cut costs per short ton by over 20% from US$84.84 to US$67.68 last year. This more than offset a 17% decline in average sales price per short ton, which dropped from US$92.39 to US$77.11.
Further cost reductions are expected in 2016 as a result of sealing its idled mines and other inactive deep mining operations to reduce idle mine costs. These stood at US$2.94 million in 2015 but will “dramatically decline in 2016 as a result of these mines being sealed”.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Tanzania focussed mineral exploration and development company, Kibo Mining, has announced that the definitive power feasibility study (DPFS) work has been completed on schedule at the Mbeya coal to power project (MCPP). The DPFS report is now subject to a review process. The findings of the DPFS will be announced on completion of the review.
Louis Coetzee, CEO of Kibo Mining, commented: “We are very pleased with the overall progress on the MCPP and in particular with the timely completion of work on the DPFS. The professional and committed way in which Tractebel has conducted the DPFS to date has been critical to delivering the DPFS work to the highest standard and within a challenging timeframe. Results from the DPFS can only be announced once the review process has been completed, but we can at this stage state that all the DPFS outcomes to date have been well within our expectations.”
Coetzee concluded: “We remain on schedule with all other parallel and interdependent MCPP work streams as per the recently published MCPP Timeline & Description.”
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
The Colombian Mining Association (CMA) has joined the World Coal Association (WCA) as an associate member. The CMA is the major mining association in Colombia, representing explorers, producers and providers of goods and services to the mining sector – including 92% of the country’s coal production.
“We are proud to welcome the CMA to the WCA as our newest associate member and we are looking forward to working with them on issues ranging from sustainable mining practice to climate change,” said the WCA’s CEO, Benjamin Sporton.
“As a major exporter of coal, WCA is committed to engaging more deeply with the Colombian coal industry, national and regional stakeholders,” continued Sporton.
“The members of the WCA believe in a sustainable future for coal. This future is founded in operational excellence by integrating sustainability across our entire business model from our own operations through to supporting new technologies for coal utilization.”
The WCA is a global industry association. Its members include major international coal producers and stakeholders.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has successfully commissioned its fifth 500 MW set at Chandrapur super thermal power project (STPP) in Maharashtra, India.
Including this unit, nine coal-fired sets aggregating to 3340 MW, all supplied and commissioned by BHEL, are now operational at Chandrapur STPP of Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd (MAHAGENCO).
The recently commissioned unit is the second 500 MW unit of Stage-III (2×500 MW) of the project being executed by BHEL.
BHEL has played a major role in the power development programme of the state of Maharashtra. The company has contributed more than 15 500 MW of generating capacity to the state, which is the highest capacity added by BHEL in a single state.
The company has supplied over 85% of the coal-fired sets installed by the state utility. BHEL’s scope of work in the Chandrapur STPP Stage-III contract includes design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of steam turbines, generators and boilers, along with associated auxiliaries and electricals, in addition to state-of-the-art controls & instrumentation (C&I) and electrostatic precipitators (ESPs).
BHEL had earlier commissioned the first set of this project in March, 2015. The company’s 500 MW sets of this rating class form a large part of the Indian power sector and have been performing much above the national average as well as the international benchmarks.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Arch Coal is cutting its workforce at its Black Thunder mine in the Powder River Basin by about 15%, according to a company spokesperson, as the downturn in the US coal industries reaches some of the countries biggest mines.
The move comes as Peabody Energy said it too was cutting jobs at its North Antelope Rochelle coal mine in the PRB with 235 laid off their.
“We regret the need for this difficult step and the impacts it will have on our employees, their families and the local community,” said Keith Williams, Arch’s President of Western Operations, in a statement.
“We have made every effort to preserve as many positions as possible,” continued Williams. “This decision was made only after a number of other cost-cutting measures were exhausted.”
The US coal industry has been hit hard over recent months as mild winter weather combined with ongoing pressure from low-cost gas and a recent spate of coal-fired power plant retirements – a result of the implementation of the MATS rule.
As a result, coal stockpiles at US utilities were at record highs at the end of last year with coal shipments down by about a third over the first few months of this year, according to data from the Association of American Railroads.
Despite the current challenges, Arch Coal said it expected the PRB to remain and “essential energy source for the domestic and global power generation sector for decades to come.”
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
The decision by the UK National Grid to offer a 12 month contract to utility, SSE, to keep the Fiddler’s Ferry coal-fired power plant operating highlights the significant worry over the UK’s power supply, according to Alan Richards, Head of Risk Management and Research at Utilyx.
“National Grid’s decision to extend support to SSE to keep Fiddlers Ferry open suggests there are very real concerns about the UK’s security of power supply for next winter,” Richards said in a statement.
“Even with this announcement the margins are still very tight and we could be exposed to greater market volatility and spikes in the wholesale price. By 2017, we will have lost 60% of the coal capacity we had in 2010 – and this is not being replaced quickly enough. The government needs to provide better incentives and greater certainty around their energy policy to attract investment in new supply.”
The one-year contract will start on 1 April and cover one of three available units at the site. Beyond this, the future of the site remains in doubt, however, said Martin Pibworth, Managing Director – Wholesale, at SSE.
“Challenging economic and environmental conditions for coal as the UK cleans its electricity mix mean that the longer-term future of the site remains uncertain,” Pibworth said.
Increasingly stringent emissions regulation and a high carbon tax in the UK have taken a significant toll on the UK’s coal-fired power industry. On 31 March, SSE announced the closure of its Ferrybridge C coal-fired plant after 50 years of operation.
According to recent figures from the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), coal generated just 19.9% of UK electricity in 4Q15 compared to 30.9% in 4Q14.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has successfully commissioned a 250 MW coal-fired thermal power plant (TPP) in Bihar, India.
The 250 MW unit has been commissioned at the upcoming, greenfield 1000 MW Nabinagar thermal power project (4 x 250 MW), being set up by Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Co. Ltd (BRBCL), a joint venture of NTPC Ltd and the Indian Railways.
This is the first 250 MW unit to be commissioned at Nabinagar TPP, located at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district of Bihar.
Execution of the other three units is also in progress.
BHEL has a long-standing partnership with NTPC and has supplied over 30 000 MW of the coal-fired power plants of NTPC and its JVs that account for around 80% of NTPC’s coal-fired installed capacity.
The 200 – 270 MW rating class sets supplied by BHEL form the backbone of the Indian power sector and have been performing much above national as well as international benchmarks.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Mitsui & Co., Japan’s second largest trading house, is not considering revisiting its agreement with Brazilian mining company, Vale, over its investment in Vale’s coal projects in Mozambique.
“Vale informs that the financial impairments incurred in 2015 do not impact Mitsui’s investment decision in the coal project in Mozambique,” the company said in a press statement.
The company was responding to report in a local newspaper that that Japanese trading house was reconsidering its investment after Vale announced US$2.4 billion of writedowns in the Africa country.
In 2014, Mitsui agreed to buy stakes in Vale’s Moatize coal mine and Nacala logistics project for US$763 million – but according to the newspaper report, no investments have yet been made by Mitsui.
In response, Vale noted Mitsui’s continued commitment to the investment in its last conference call: “Vale´s impairment does not directly impact our investment decision; we are currently in negotiations for prompt closing of the transaction, including the conclusion of the Project Finance,” the Japanese company said.
Mitsui recently announced that it expects to make its first net loss since it was founded in its modern form in 1947 due to writedowns on its mining and energy projects. Resource industries account for more than two-thirds of its profit with the company active in oil, iron ore, coal and gas trading.
The Tokyo-based company said it expected to make a loss of JPY 70 billion (US$623 million) in the fiscal year ending in March. And further misery may not be far away.
“Unless commodity prices rebound and stay stable, there is a chance for further impairments,” Thanh Ha Pham, an analyst at Jefferies Group LLC, told Bloomberg.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Troubled US coal miner, Peabody Energy, is to lay off 235 workers from its North Antelope Rochelle mine in the Powder River Basin (PRB) in order to “align the workforce with customer needs”.
“While out asset position and contracting strategies give us relative strength, we are taking these actions to match production with customer demand,” said Peabody President – Americas, Kemal Williamson.
“We regret the impact of these actions on our employees, their families and the surrounding communities in the Campbell and Converse county areas.”
The redundancies will impact about 15% of the mine’s workforce of 1150. In total, Peabody employs about 1500 at its PRB operations. “The company is taking steps to ease the transition through severance and outplacement support,” it said in a statement.
Shipments of US coal have fallen dramatically at the start of 2016 as high stockpiles at power plants, competition from natural gas and mild winter weather combine to reduce demand for thermal coal.
The US Energy Information Administration recently reported record coal stockpiles of 197 million short t at the end of 2015 – the highest year-end inventory in a quarter of century. Coal shipments by rail have been down by about a third since the start of the year.
Meanwhile, according to Peabody, heating days are 17% lower so far this year compared to 2015 with heating days in March down nearly 30% compared to the 10-year average.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
UK power firm SSE has secured a one-year contract for the Fiddler’s Ferry coal-fired power plant in Cheshire, UK, to provide ancillary services to National Grid.
The one-year contract, commencing on 1 April 2016, will cover one of the three available units at the site. It was secured following a competitive procurement process.
The future of commercial operation at three of the four units at Fiddler’s Ferry (1455 MW) has been the subject of a consultation, announced by SSE on 3 February 2016. The fourth unit has a ‘Supplemental Balancing Reserve’ (SBR) contract for the winter of 2016/2017.
Following successfully securing the contract to provide ancillary services, and in view of the UK government’s current consultation on reforms to the Capacity Market, SSE has decided to:
- Confirm that, in accordance with its statement on 3 February 2016, one unit at the plant will provide SBR services to National Grid for the winter of 2016/17. Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC) is therefore not required for this unit’s capacity.
- Retain TEC for the station of 1455 MW, equivalent to the capacity of three units, for 2016/2017.
- Enter all or part of Fiddler’s Ferry capacity into any 2017/2018 Capacity Market auction.
SSE currently employs 213 people at Fiddler’s Ferry. In light of announcing the contact extension, SSE will consult further with its employees and their representatives about the future operational requirements of the site.
Martin Pibworth, Managing Director, Wholesale, for SSE said: “Challenging economic and environmental conditions for coal as the UK cleans its electricity mix mean that the longer term future of the site remains uncertain but we are very pleased to have secured this 12 month contract. We will continue our consultation with employees as we complete our review of the operational requirements of the station.”
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Corsa Coal has reported earnings of US$1.67 million in 2015, a fall of US$1.05 million on the previous year. Earnings from its Northern Appalachian (NAPP) operations rose substantially, however, from US$917 000 in 2014 to US$2.02 million in 2015.
NAPP performance was driven by productivity improvement and cost reduction efforts, which outpaced the decline in average realised prices. “These efforts led to cash operating margin and adjusted EBITDA rising in 2015 versus 2014 levels,” the company said.
The company also substantially completed mine development for the Cooper Ridge Deep Mine in Central Appalachia (CAPP). The mine is expected to enter full production in 2Q16 and will reposition Corsa’s CAPP business into the speciality and industrial coal markets – markets with typically generate premium pricing.
Corsa’s CAPP business saw revenues fall y/y in 2015 to US$4.06 million from US$7.75 million in 2014. Average realised prices for the company’s CAPP coal was US$66.53 per short t, down from US$67.95 per short t in 2014.
“Both of Corsa’s operating divisions are well positioned to grow in the years ahead, with the mines, mining permits, coal processing infrastructure, and mining equipment in place to expand production once market conditions recover,” said George Dethlefsen, Corsa’s CEO.
“Our advantaged position on the delivered cost curve, premium coal qualities and financial sponsorship will enable Corsa to capitalise on future opportunities. In addition to our pipeline of organic growth projects, we will continue to pursue acquisitions to grow the company at a time when coal asset values remain at historically low levels.”
Looking ahead to 2016, Corsa expects total sales of 1.525 million – 1.825 million short t. Sales from its NAPP business are forecast at 850 000 – 1.05 million short t, including metallurgical coal sales of 600 000 – 700 000 short t and thermal coal sales of 250 000 – 350 000 short t.
CAPP sales are expected to total 675 000 – 775 000 short t of thermal and industrial coal.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Dry Bulk shipping company, Eagle Bulk, has said it has reached an agreement with company’s lenders and 75% of the company’s shareholders on a “comprehensive balance-sheet recapitalisation”.
The deal will provide the company with about US$105 million in incremental liquidity, including a new second lien facility comprised of US%60 million in new capital from existing shareholders.
“We are pleased to have reached this comprehensive agreement that strengthens Eagle Bulk’s capital structure,” said CEO, Gary Vogel. The combination of additional liquidity and the enhanced financial flexibility it provides greatly improves our ability to persevere through the current market.”
The deal also includes unspecified changes to Eagle Bulk’s organizational structure, which the company said would allow it to “opportunistically pursue growth opportunities in the dry bulk market.”
Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, Eagle Bulk owns a number of supramax dry bulk vessels and transports a range of major and mine dry bulk cargoes, including coal, grain, ore, petcoke, cement, steel and fertilizer.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Polydeck Screen Corp. has released its vector slot technology (VST) screen panel design.
This patented design incorporates slots at opposing 45° angles, creating a zigzag flow, which increases retention time, therefore providing increased drain rates per square foot.
The slots’ orientation in relation to the machine’s motion helps prevent particles from being driven into the apertures, reducing pegging and blinding problems often associated with fine sizing.
VST enables a customer to screen/dewater at a higher efficiency than traditional slotted screen or continuous slot screen panels. Field testing has demonstrated that the VST also has a much lower tendency to plug with near sized particles providing higher open area throughout the life cycle of the screen panel.
It is available in 0.65 mm and 1 mm apertures and is soon to released in additional aperture sizes.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Minemax Planner 4.1.2 has been recently released with bearing-based interpolated slopes, enabling users to define slope angles for specific bearings using geometry sub-regions or attribute sub-regions, improving the accuracy of the slope pit design during pit optimisation. This improvement is part of the easy-to-use ultimate pit workflow, so it takes only seconds to set it up and get on with optimisation.
On the set slopes screen, an unlimited number of bearings with specific slope angles can be added. slope angles can also be set up for only a few bearings, and Minemax Planner interpolates slope angles for the unspecified bearing ranges between 0 – 360°.
Bearing-based slopes can be set up for specific geometry sub-regions or attribute sub-regions (grades, rock types, etc.), which gives a flexible solution to address complex mine design requirements and geotechnical issues in your pit slope design.
Minemax Planner 4.1.2 is available for download for all maintained users.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Following 50 years of electricity generation, SSE’s Ferrybridge C power plant officially closes on 31 March.
SSE has been operating the plant since 2004, and at its peak could meet the needs of 2 million people from its four 500 MW units.
In May 2015, SSE made the decision to close the West Yorkshire plant, due to a number of factors; not least the significant losses the plant was forecast to incur in the coming years.
Desynchronisation of Ferrybridge C commenced on 23 March and the plant is now set to close on 31 March, where it will begin a decommissioning phase – which many of the staff are staying on to assist with.
Mick Gee, Ferrybridge C’s Station Manager, paid tribute to the people of the station and their 50 year contribution to the energy industry.
He said: “In the eight years I’ve been Station Manager here I’m proud to have worked with some amazing people. I want to acknowledge the contribution from all those who’ve been part of the ‘Ferrybridge family,’ past and present. It’s always been a special place to work where people help each other without asking.”
“I also want to thank the local community for their support over the years. Ferrybridge’s cooling towers have been a distinctive landmark for half a century but people have always valued our contribution to the local economy and our role as a responsible neighbour. We’re very proud of that too,” continued Gee.
Paul Smith, SSE Managing Director, Generation, added: “It was with a heavy heart that we announced our plans to close Ferrybridge last year. But today is all about recognising and thanking those who have played their part over the years in Ferrybridge’s wonderful history and immense contribution to powering the nation. SSE is very proud of them and they should be too.”
The West Yorkshire plant began generating electricity on 27 February 1966. It has since produced an estimated 462 TWh of electricity in its lifetime – enough to power the entire nation of France for a whole year.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Sandvik HR185, the latest generation all-composite roller, is a low-weight, low-noise innovation that answers customers’ needs for a superior conveyor component. The new composite rollers deliver significantly more value than competing steel rollers, from lower cost to corrosion resistance in wet and high-salt environments. They are safer, quieter and more economical.
The composite shell material used in Sandvik HR185 rollers is up to 70% lighter than the shell used on traditional steel rollers and up to 40% lighter than other plastic shell materials on the market. This significantly lower weight enables safer, easier handling and helps reduce the risk of injuries that can occur while installing new rollers or replacing failed rollers during maintenance. In addition, should a roller reach the end of its service life and stop rotating, there is no steel end cap to damage the belt, reducing the risk of belt damage.
Sandvik HR185 rollers are also ideal for noise-sensitive applications, including export terminals and conveying installations near populated areas. They generate >50% less noise than traditional steel rollers. The natural dampening effect of the composite means Sandvik HR185 rollers minimise noise impact on the surrounding environment.
“In addition to improving safety and increasing productivity, Sandvik HR185 rollers can reduce total cost of ownership by up to 20%”, commented Chris Mitchell, Global Product Line Manager, Sandvik Mining. “They require less time and manpower to install and maintain, and their reduced power demand due to a lower rotating inertia means savings in electricity costs. A large, non-rotating end cap covers up to 90% of the roller face and helps to limit damage to seals and bearings from dirt, rocks and other material buildup at the roller face, further extending the roller life and reducing costs.”
Sandvik HR185 composite conveyor rollers feature a composite tube and moulded composite end caps that hold the bearings and seals. Unlike other plastic rollers that rely on the physical properties of a single primary shell material to deliver both strength and abrasion resistance, the shells of Sandvik HR185 rollers are formed by advanced processes to deliver a two-part composite tube that can handle all the running loads of a steel roller at a significantly reduced weight.
Despite their light weight, the new Sandvik HR185 composite rollers deliver durability in demanding medium to heavy duty conveying applications. Suitable for high speeds and large tonnages, the rollers are available in diameters from 152 mm to 178 mm, with bearing sizes from 6306 up to 6310.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
A group of US states attorneys general have announced they will work together, “protecting and building upon the recent progress the United States has made is combating climate change.” The group includes the attorneys general of New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia.
According to a press release, the participating officials are “exploring working together on key climate-related initiatives, such as ongoing and potential investigations into whether fossil fuel companies misled investors and the public on the impact of climate change on their businesses.”
The group is also part of a wider coalition of states, cities and counties that have submitted a brief with the DC Circuit Court defending the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan against legal challenge.
“With gridlock and dysfunction gripping Washington, it Is up to the states to lead on the generation-defining issue of climate change,” said New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman. “We stand ready to […] fight any efforts to roll-back the meaningful progress made over the past eight years.”
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy criticised the attorneys general, however, accusing them of going “off on a quixotic journey to solve a problem that barely cracks the list of priorities for the average American, when instead they should be protecting their constituents by working to defeat EPA’s costly power plan.”
The inconvenient truth is many of our top state officials remain intent on wasting taxpayer dollars by moving forward with a plan that has been placed on an official hiatus by the US Supreme Court until it rules on the plan’s legality,” the ACCCE continued. “The stay was clear – states need not comply with this expansive federal overreach while its constitutionality is questioned. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and his allies should serve their states by putting their pens down.”
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Centaur Holdings Ltd, the global investment holding company, has completed its acquisition of two coal Prospecting Rights in South Africa. The mining project will collectively be known as De Roodepoort.
Centaur has also completed both stage 1 and 2 of its De Roodepoort exploration plans with the drilling of a further 79 holes to depths of 130 meters. There is over 100 million t of coal available within the mine itself, the bulk of which is split between higher-quality export coal and Eskom grade domestic coal.
The company is set to start the mining phase of the project in January 2017, and is currently in the process of converting prospecting rights into mining rights. The mine is situated in the Magisterial District of Ermelo, Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa, and measures circa 3258 ha.
As part of the project, Centaur has committed to further boost the region’s infrastructure and facilities, which is a key part of Centaur’s strategy of working closely within the local community. De Roodepoort is expected to require over 350 full time employees once in production, creating further employment opportunities for South Africa and the local community.
The mining project will become the firm’s largest single asset, with submission of the New Order Mining Right, IWULA and Environmental Authorisation applications due imminently.
Commenting on the completion of the acquisition, Centaur Group Chief Executive Officer, Daniel McGowan, said: “This is a key project for Centaur and demonstrates ambition and increasing size and scale of assets we are managing and attracting. The submission of all relevant documentation has only been possible in such a short timescale due to the combined efforts of the Centaur team and our external service providers who have worked for the past 12 months to keep within our timescales. The addition of the project into our portfolio adds further support to our commitment to the region and underpins our growth and ambition in the mining sector. It further demonstrates our ongoing support for the local economy and overall confidence in the infrastructure and opportunity within South Africa.”
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Canadian Tier 1 railway, Canadian Pacific (CP), has filed its definitive proxy statement for its Norfolk Southern (NS) shareholder resolution asking the NS board to “engage in good faith discussions with CP regarding a business combination.” The filing is the latest round in CP’s ongoing battle to merge with its larger US rival.
In response, the NS board has filed a counter statement calling the CP proposal “unnecessary”, as NS would have discussions with CP if the Canadian company obtains a declaratory order from the rail regulator, the Surface Transportation Board (STB), approving the proposed structure of the takeover, and states a willingness to “meaningfully increase its offer.”
“The NS board has refused to meet with us in the past, which ultimately led to our shareholder resolution,” said CP CEO, E. Hunter Harrison. “While we remain open to meeting with them anytime and anywhere, we are putting the question to the shareholders of NS so they can finally be heard. We continue to see tremendous opportunity and enormous potential in the proposed business combination.”
Harrison also said that CP was open to discussing “all terms of a potential deal, including price” and had already asked the STB for a declaratory order.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Siemens has opened a new AUS$20 million equipment service centre for the mining, energy, shipping and heavy industry sectors.
The centre, in Perth, is the third new Siemens Service Centre opened in Australia in less than two years, following the opening of similar centres in South Australia and Queensland.
According to Siemens, the centre will aid Australian operators and Western Australia to transition into the 4th Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and help minimise operator downtimes on site.
Australian Mining spoke to Siemen’s Head of Customer Service for Industrial Businesses, Dr Thomas Moser, about the state of the resources industry, the 4th industrial revolution, and the role of Siemen’s new facility.
[embedded content]
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Colbert Fossil Plant – the TVA’s last coal-fired power plant in Alabama – was taken offline on 23 March, according to a company press release. The plant had been generating electricity for 61 years.
The last unit – Unit 1 – was taken off of the grid by TVA retiree Tom Morrow, who had worked at the plant for 36 years between 1956 and 1992. Morrow arrived at Colbert after stints at the Wilson, Watts Bar and Widows Creek plants – all of which are no closed.
Widows Creek was shut down in September last year after 62 years of operation.
“I am extremely proud of […] the absolutely amazing Colbert employees,” said Kenny Mullinax, Vice President of Western and Transitional Coal at the TVA. “You never lost focus throughout this challenging period as you brought your great plant to a graceful closure.”
The TVA said last year that it would close the Colbert plant by 15 April 2016 – the date that new mercury and air toxins regulations come into effect. Colbert’s employees will now transfer to other TVA fossil plants.
“After careful analysis, we determined that it [would be] more cost effective to transition the facility to its next chapter in TVA history than to install costly pollution controls,” explained Mullinax.
Power generation will continue at the Colbert site, however, in the form of the Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant – a 712 MW gas-fired plant commissioned in 1972.
The Colbert coal-fired plant joins a long list of coal-fired power plant retirement in the US in recent years. According to the US Energy Information Administration, 13.7 GW of coal-fired capacity was removed from the grid last year – over 80% of the total retirements – while only one small 2.2 MW coal-fired plant was added.
In contrast, around 6 GW of gas-fired capacity was added to the grid last year, along with around 8 GW of wind and around 5 GW of solar.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Preparation activities are currently underway to permanently close all of Georgia Power’s 29 ash ponds located at eleven coal-fired generation facilities across the state.
Twelve ponds are scheduled for closure in less than two years; 16 are expected to close in less than 10 years; and one pond is expected to close in approximately 10 – 14 years.
“Our primary focus throughout the closure process is maintaining a reliable generation fleet, while conducting the closure process in the most efficient way possible,” said Dr Mark Berry, Vice President of Environmental Affairs for Georgia Power.
Ash pond closures are site-specific and involve complex processes that balance multiple factors, such as pond size, location, geology and amount of material. The company must also ensure reliable electricity for customers during the significant construction work that will take place within each plant to accommodate the dry handling of coal combustion residuals (CCR) required by new federal regulations.
The closure of all 29 ash ponds is expected to cost over a billion dollars over the next 10 years.
The company has worked with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) on the closure plan and will continue to work closely with the EPD throughout the closure process. Additionally, all ash pond closures will be certified by a professional engineer.
Approximately 50% of the coal combustion by-products Georgia Power produces today are being recycled for various uses, such as Portland cement, concrete, cinder blocks and drywall. In addition, the company has invested approximately US$5 billion in new environmental compliance technologies for its coal-fired generation fleet, which are reducing emissions.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
By IAN AUSTEN
March 29, 2016
OTTAWA — An electrical plant on the Saskatchewan prairie was the great hope for industries that burn coal.
In the first large-scale project of its kind, the plant was equipped with a technology that promised to pluck carbon out of the utility’s exhaust and bury it underground, transforming coal into a cleaner power source. In the months after opening, the utility and the provincial government declared the project an unqualified success.
But the $1.1 billion project is now looking like a green dream.
Known as SaskPower’s Boundary Dam 3, the project has been plagued by multiple shutdowns, has fallen way short of its emissions targets, and faces an unresolved problem with its core technology. The costs, too, have soared, requiring tens of millions of dollars in new equipment and repairs.
“At the outset, its economics were dubious,” said Cathy Sproule, a member of Saskatchewan’s legislature who released confidential internal documents about the project. “Now they’re a disaster.”
The utility that runs the project, SaskPower, and advocates for carbon capture argue that the setbacks are typical teething problems associated with any new and complex technology.
“Over time, as more companies, countries engage in carbon capture and storage technologies, the price for everybody is going to come down,” Mike Marsh, the chief executive of SaskPower, told a legislative committee in January. “That will make it easier to employ.”
The Boundary Dam Power Station sits near a wealth of resources not far from the North Dakota border.
Hundreds of years of coal reserves are buried under the ground nearby, virtually eliminating transportation costs. And the mining creates employment in an area with limited job prospects.
“It’s a low-cost, stable supply,” Mr. Marsh said. “There’s a tremendous opportunity in North America to continue to utilize coal.”
To the utility and the provincial government, the process known as carbon capture and storage seemed tantalizing when a review of the power system began 11 years ago.
The technology offered a way to stick with coal in a carbon-conscious era. It was especially attractive in Canada, where rising emissions from the have more than offset reductions elsewhere, including Ontario’s abandonment of coal-fired electrical generation.
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Through the process, machinery would first remove most of the soot and ash from the coal’s exhaust. The exhaust would then pass through a kind of chemical called an amine that would snatch the carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, out of it. The gathered carbon dioxide, separated from the amine, would be compressed, moved through pipelines and ultimately buried underground.
Variations of the technology have been used as far back as the 1920s. And small demonstration projects have largely worked, including one in Norway that opened in 2012.
Boundary Dam, which received a major Canadian subsidy and opened in September 2014, was the first full-scale deployment of the technology to cut emissions from burning coal. Saskatchewan picked a process owned by Shell, encouraged by its history with petrochemicals.
At the outset, the utility and the province said the project was working as intended, capturing 90 percent of the plant’s carbon. It was the equivalent, they said, of taking 250,000 cars off the road. Environmentalists and politicians from around the world came to check out Boundary Dam.
But the success story disintegrated last November when Ms. Sproule, a member of the opposition New Democratic Party, unveiled the confidential documents in the provincial legislature. She wouldn’t identify the people who provided the documents, although the government confirmed their authenticity.
The documents showed that the system was working at only 45 percent of capacity. One memo, written a month after the government publicly boasted about the project, cited eight major problem areas. Fixing them, it said, could take a year and a half, and the memo warned that it was not immediately apparent how to resolve some problems.
A chart covering the first year of operation showed that the system often didn’t work at all. When it was turned back on after shutdowns for adjustments and repairs, the amount of carbon captured sometimes even dropped.
The buoyant public remarks, Mr. Marsh said, accurately reflected the company’s early assessment of the system. “We were very optimistic when this plant came online,” he said.
Still, he acknowledged that “there were a few statements that it was achieving more than it had.” Mr. Marsh characterized many of the problems as design issues, such as inadequate temperature control systems, rather than fundamental flaws.
But Boundary Dam has exposed a problem with Shell’s process when used with coal exhaust. Despite the plant’s initial filtering, tiny particles of ash still remain in the exhaust and contaminate the amine, reducing its ability to grab carbon, Mr. Marsh said.
“Over all, we are pleased with the performance of the capture technology,” Shell Canada said in a statement, adding that it was working with SaskPower “to optimize operations and capture any lessons that can be applied to improve future projects.”
But the costs are piling up.
One shutdown last spring to clean and replenish the chemical cost 17 million Canadian dollars. Mr. Marsh said that the company was still looking for a way to prevent the contamination.
The repeated shutdowns have caused SaskPower to miss multiple carbon dioxide deliveries to Cenovus Energy, the Canadian oil company that signed a 10-year contract with the utility to buy most of the gas. (Cenovus uses carbon dioxide to force oil from largely depleted wells.) SaskPower has had to pay 7 million Canadian dollars in penalties, offsetting most of the 9 million Canadian dollars in payments received.
On top of that, the carbon system is a voracious consumer of the electricity generated by Boundary Dam, which has 150 megawatts of capacity. Mr. Marsh testified that about 30 megawatts of capacity were consumed by the system, and an additional 15 to 16 megawatts were needed to compress the carbon dioxide.
Tim Boersma, the acting director of the energy security and climate initiative at the Brookings Institution, said that extensive power loss is a significant factor keeping other utilities from following SaskPower’s lead.
“That is exactly the reason this is not going to fly,” Mr. Boersma said. “The plant’s efficiency goes down so dramatically.”
As it continues to sort out the plant’s problems, SaskPower is damping expectations. The utility cut its emissions reduction target for this year to 800,000 metric tons, from one million.
The company said it is working with the engineering firm that designed the project to solve the problems and increase efficiency. Mr. Marsh said there were indications that performance was improving. Last month, the utility said the system was working at 67 percent of capacity.
Even some environmentalists are hoping for a turnaround.
George Peridas, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s climate and clean air program, said his group did not endorse the use of coal, but it accepted that coal would continue to be part of the energy mix.
Carbon capture, he said, will be a “vital part” of reducing emissions. Based on discussions with SaskPower, Mr. Peridas said he was confident that Boundary Dam would eventually work out.
“I don’t see any indication that the carbon capture system of this plant is broken,” Mr. Peridas said. “It’s had a bumpy start.”
By CORAL DAVENPORT
March 29, 2016
WASHINGTON — Two months ahead of a federal court hearing on President Obama’s signature rule, a coordinated public relations offensive has begun — modeled after the campaign — to influence the outcome of the case.
A national coalition of liberal and environmental advocacy groups, state attorneys general, mayors and even some businesses are adhering to the strategy that a network of gay rights and other advocacy groups began in the months before the heard arguments in the case, Obergefell v. Hodges, last year. Those advocates cannot be certain, but they said they believed it had influenced the opinions of the justices, who ruled in June that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.
While such campaigns are common before major arguments, it is unusual to see a national effort aimed at a lower court hearing. But the case, West Virginia v. the United States , to be argued June 2 before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is unusual.
“The reason there is all this focus is that this is arguably the most important environmental regulation ever,” said Richard L. Revesz, the director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at the New York University School of Law. This week, the institute and several other groups will file briefs in support of the ’s position in the case.
At stake is a sweeping federal rule intended to cut the emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants. While environmentalists see the rule as the largest step ever taken by the United States to tackle climate change, the coal industry sees it as a huge threat.
If enacted, the rule could shut down hundreds of coal-fired power plants and rapidly escalate wind and , transforming the American electricity industry. The rule also provided Mr. Obama with a pivotal tool during negotiations of last year’s Paris Accord, the first deal committing action from every country in the world to fight climate change. If the rule unravels, it could severely weaken that global pact.
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Meanwhile, the vacancy on the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month has also heightened the national impact of decisions by lower courts. If the decision by the Federal Circuit Court is appealed to the Supreme Court — as is widely expected — and the eight justices are evenly split, the decision of the lower court will stand.
“If the Supreme Court is divided 4 to 4, it would make sense that you want to pour resources into the outcome of the lower court, if that’s the one that’s going to matter at the end of the day,” said Allison Orr Larsen, a law professor at the William and Mary Law School.
The campaign by the advocates kicked off Tuesday morning, timed to highlight the E.P.A.’s Monday afternoon filing of its legal briefs in the case and an expected Tuesday court filing by about 20 states and other outside groups, such as the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council, which support the rule.
Even more groups planned to file briefs this week in support of the administration. In New York, Al Gore, the environmental advocate and former vice president, several state attorneys general, led by the New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, at a news conference supporting the Obama administration’s position.
The groups backing the administration began posting quotable excerpts from the legal briefs on Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday. Several more such events are planned for this week, and the public relations push will escalate for the next eight weeks, culminating in a rally outside the federal courthouse on the day of the hearing.
The White House is aware of the campaign, but is not coordinating with the groups or planning any messaging of its own, said Thomas Reynolds, who until last week directed climate change communications efforts for the White House, but this week moved back to a similar position at the E.P.A.
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While developing the campaign, the environmental advocates closely examined the messaging tactics of the same-sex marriage efforts — particularly the message that the issue affects individual lives beyond the gay community.
“On gay marriage, it was that everyone has a friend, a neighbor, a sibling who could be impacted,” said Joshua Dorner, a strategist at the Washington political communications firm SKDKnickerbocker, who worked on the same-sex marriage public relations campaigns ahead of the Supreme Court argument. The same message could be applied to a campaign on climate change, “showing how it directly impacts people’s lives,” he said.
To that end, the environmentalists will deploy several mayors, like Dawn Zimmer of Hoboken, N.J., who will speak at news conferences over the coming months in support of the climate rule.
“After , we had senior citizens stranded in their apartments who couldn’t get medicine,” she said. “Substations were flooded, and we were without power for two weeks. The threat to Hoboken from climate change and rising sea levels is very real, and the predictions are it’s getting worse.”
But the plaintiffs in the case, including over two dozen states and the nation’s largest coal companies, are not planning a similar public campaign. Those groups began planning their legal attack on the administration’s climate change rules long before they were made final, and are expected to focus their attention on the legal arguments.
“There’s people on both sides of the aisle who specialize in this kind of thing, but the idea that you’re going to affect these judges on the D.C. Circuit and their clerks is ridiculous,” said Michael McKenna, a Republican energy lobbyist who is closely involved in the legal and public relations strategy for the coal companies. “It may work at the Supreme Court level. But every judge and clerk I’ve ever met at this level would be insulted at the suggestion that they could be influenced by something like this. It’s a colossal waste of money.”
Ultimately, it may be impossible to know the impact of campaigning in the courts. “The theory is that you want to influence them just like you influence any other citizen,” Ms. Larsen said of the judges. “But the only person who knows the influence of something like that is the judge herself.”
As part of a contract worth over €1 billion, Malakoff Corp. Berhad’s (Malakoff) 1000 MW Tanjung Bin energy power plant (T4) has entered commercial operation on schedule. GE’s Steam Power Systems, together with its consortium partners: Mudajaya and Shin Eversenda, has executed the engineering, procurement and construction agreement for the plant. The ultra-supercritical, coal-fired power plant, which commenced construction in March 2012, was completed on schedule.
GE was the leader of the consortium, engineered and supplied key equipment and was responsible for the overall integration and commissioning of the plant. The plant operates on GE’s most modern steam turbine and generator technology, its ultra-supercritical boiler and GE’s proprietary environmental control systems. The emissions at the plant are significantly reduced through the use of low NOX burners, a highly efficient seawater flue gas desulfurisation facility and fabric filters to lower nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide and dust emissions.
“GE’s highly efficient technology solution implemented at our T4 plant is helping us to ensure the generation of affordable electricity at lower environmental impact,” said Habib Husin, acting CEO, Malakoff Corporation Berhad. “This ultra-supercritical plant will deliver an additional 1000 MW to the grid.”
“GE’s Steam Power Systems pioneered ultra-supercritical steam generation and is today one of the technology leaders in advanced and ultra-supercritical technology. This technology has achieved efficiencies up to 47% – above the global average rate of existing power plants of around 30% – lowering fuel consumption and emissions. Each additional percentage point in efficiency reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 2 to 3%,” said Andreas Lusch, CEO, GE’s Steam Power Systems. “This project is another example of GE’s commitment to the development of energy mix diversification in the region. The plant provides enough energy to power 2 million people.”
GE’s Steam Power Systems has installed 320 GW of power across the globe with all fuels available – from coal to nuclear energy to biomass.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Roobuck, Australian mining light manufacturer, has just released a new device, Roobuck Caplamp Bracket, to transform fixed caplamp into a flexible one, allowing users to adjust the caplamp beam to different angles.
The product has a worldwide patent pending: 2014903138.
The beam direction of a caplamp has a downward angle with a horizontal line. This angle is fixed because neither the bracket on the helmet nor the clip on the headpiece has any mechanism to adjust this angle. With Roobuck Caplamp Bracket installed, a user no longer needs to remove the caplamp off the helmet to point in a particular direction anymore. Instead, the caplamp can be turned up or down so to shine the light from the very ground at a user’s feet to the roof overhead.
The Roobuck Caplamp Bracket extends out far enough to even allow the caplamp to shine down vertically without being obstructed by the visor rim. It normally folds up working like a normal caplamp bracket. It is pulled out only when a different beam angle is needed.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Peace appears to have been restored between Westmoreland Coal and its shareholder, Venor Capital Management, which owns 6.2% of the company, after a disagreement emerged over the composition of the Westmoreland board.
In February, Venor said it would nominate two candidates – Eugene Davis and Robert Flexon – for election to the board at the company’s 2016 annual general meeting (AGM).
Under an agreement with Westmoreland, Venor will now withdraw its nomination notice in exchange for the nomination of Flexon on Westmoreland’s slate of director nominations for election at the AGM.
In addition, Westmoreland’s board will also interview Davis and at least one other candidate put forward by Venor to add to the board before its first scheduled meeting in August. As a result, the board will expand from eight to nine members.
“We value input from our investors as we seek to further strengthen our board’s capital markets expertise,” said Westmoreland’s CEO, Kevin Paprzycki. “This agreement also demonstrates our board’s commitment to corporate governance and transparent communication with our shareholders.”
Westmoreland Coal claims to be the oldest independent coal company in the US. Last year, it reported losses of US$203 million but has seen its share price rise from a low of US$3.93 in January to US$7.19 at close of trading on 28 March.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
US coal company, Arch Coal, has named ten West Virginia teachers as recipients of its Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award. Arch Coal’s teaching awards are the longest running privately-sponsored teacher recognition programme in the state, celebrating their 29th year in 2016.
“We are honoured to recognise these outstanding West Virginia teachers with an Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award,” said John Eaves, Arch Coal’s Chairman and CEO.
The ten award winners include Erica Alexander or Triadelphia Middle School in Wheeling, Irma Barazzone or Unversity High School in Morgantown, Carl Brainard of Parkersberg South High School in Parkersberg, Dierdra Casto or Union Elementary School in Buckhannon, Aleta Jo Crotty or Mercer Elementary School in Princeton, Melissa Elliot of Martinsburg High School in Martinsburg, Ron Hudson or Pendleton County High School in Franklin, Joy Marie Hunt of Burch Elementary School in Delbarton and Jeremy Anne Knight and Samantha Slone of Spring Mills Middle School of Martinsberg.
“Their dedication to the teaching profession and to ensuring the success of their students will serve the citizens of the state well, both now and in the future,” Eaves continued. “These 10 individuals are representative of the many West Virginia classroom educators, who are constantly striving to employ new teaching methods, technologies and curriculum. We congratulate them all on their commitment to improving the lives of those in the state.”
“Teachers are rarely honored for the hard work and long hours they put into providing a high-quality education for the students of our state,” said Dale Lee, President of the West Virginia Education Association. “I want to thank Arch Coal for recognising our teachers. These teachers exemplify the spirit and dedication of their peers throughout the state.”
Arch Coal, one of the largest coal producers in the US, also supports teacher recognition programmes in Wyoming and Colorado.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Rhino Resources has announced a net loss of US$34 million in 4Q15 on total revenues of US$39.6 million with coal sales generating US$31.6 million of the total. This compares to revenues of US$61.9 million and coal sales of US$52.5 million in 4Q14.
“We successfully executed many transactions during the past year to reduce our debt and enhance the partnership’s cash flow and liquidity during these challenging market conditions,” Rhino’s President and CEO said in a statement. “We generated over US$13 million of proceeds from the sale of non-core assets that we utilsed to reduce our debt.”
“Our balance sheet remains strong with this relatively low debt level compared to many competitors in the coal industry along with our low level of legacy liabilities,” Funk concluded.
Separately, the company also announced that it would undertake a one-for-ten reverse stock split on its common and subordinated units, effective after market close on 18 April.
The reverse split will reduce the amount of common units from about 76.9 million to 7.7 million, while subordinated unit count will fall from about 12.4 million to 1.2 million. According to the company, to move is intended to increase to market price of Rhino’s stock, bringing it into compliance with New York Stock Exchange continued listing standards.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
A court in Warsaw has affirmed Prairie Mining’s exclusive right to take the K-6-7 mining concession – part Prairie’s Lublin Coal Project – through to mining production, rejecting rival claims over the concession from Lubelski Wegiel Bogdanka.
“We are pleased that the administrative court has rejected Bogdanka’s administrative complaints,” said Prairie’s Ben Stoikovich. “This court ruling confirms, beyond doubt, Prairie’s exclusive right to progress towards a mining concession over the strategically important, world class coal deposit.”
Bogdanka already mines adjacent to the disputed concession and had applied to Poland’s Ministry of Environment to extend its operations into K-6-7. In a statement, its outgoing CEO, Zbigniew Stopa, said the company was disappointed with the ruling and promised to continue to its legal challenge.
On 24 March Bogdanka announced that Stopa had been dismissed from his position on the company’s management board, along with several others, effective from 31 March. At the time of writing, it was unclear how this would impact future legal action by the company relating to the K-6-7 concession.
Responding to Stopa’s threat of continuing legal action, Prairie noted that “Bogdanka’s claims have been consistently and vigorously rejected by the Polish government” and that any further action would “merely be ill-conceived.”
The Lublin Coal Project is a large-scale premium coal project in the Lublin Coal Basin in southeast Poland. It has an estimated JORC coal resource of 722 million t. Testing of the coal has indicated the presence of semi-soft coking coal.
“Prairie is proud to be operating in Poland, which is an excellent jurisdiction for coal mining investment,” concluded Stoikovich. “I am excited by the opportunity to develop a genuinely world-class, lowest-cost hard coal mine that will provide security of supply to Europe for decades to come. We are creating new jobs and investing heavily in our development program and as a result enjoy strong support for our project from local communities and regional authorities.”
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Indonesia-focused metallurgical coal company, Cokal, has completed the sale of its interest in PT Anugerah Alam Manuhing (AMM) for US$150 000 to PT Jinantra Karya Raya, an Indonesian company that owns tenements adjacent to AMM.
According to Cokal, the AMM tenements were considered “non-core” as they were located away from its core tenements in Central Kalimantan and were unlikely to contain metallurgical coal – which it the company’s core focus.
“It was therefore considered appropriate in the current climate to realise the value of AMM, reduce ongoing liabilities and to use the funds for working capital while the board pursues […] funding options,” the company said.
Cokal is currently pursuing three funding options, including a transaction resulting in an Indonesian listing, a merger with another ASX-listed company and a financing IPO on the Shanghai stock exchange.
In addition to purchasing the AMM tenements, PT Jinantra Karya Raya will also retain Cokal as a consultant on US$400 000 retainer, expiring in mid-June 2016.
“Cokal is glad to be working with PT Jinantra Karya Raya and its principals to achieve their goals in receiving the necessary regulatory approvals and the most efficient route to production for the growing interests in Indonesia,” the company concluded.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Centric Mining Systems has announced the pending release of the first free, cloud based drill hole and sample management system early this spring.
With the goal of empowering explorers to have confidence in their resource related data, Centric Explore is intended to deliver a secure, accountable, scalable and accessible geological data management solution.
Geologists and executives can ensure that the highest quality data is efficiently gathered, stored and reported with reliability and accountability from day one of their project.
The cloud based architecture means no large capital expenditures or IT infrastructure is required while users can gain access to vital project data. Centric Explore ensures that data is fully auditable and meets SOX and JORC compliance no matter what size a project is.
Users can have the freedom to collect their drill hole and sampling data offline in the field, synchronise with the cloud, view key indicators on dashboards or be notified through SMS or email of important results on their mobile device wherever they are in the world.
“Centric Explore represents a fundamental shift in the delivery of data management tools to the exploration and mining sector,” said Chris Novak, the CEO of Centric Mining Systems. “Where once only large, well-financed companies could afford to implement such systems, we are proud to offer junior explorers and large organisations a solution that scales from the smallest project to the largest company on a platform that moves the industry into the modern cloud based era.”
The system is free for small projects with an option to move to a paid monthly subscription as the project grows.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has successfully commissioned a 600 MW coal-based thermal power plant in the state of Telangana in India.
The unit has been commissioned at the upcoming 2 x 600 MW Singarenit thermal power project (TPP) located in Adilabad district in Telangana.
The project is being developed by Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd (SCCL), India’s second largest coal mining company. With the commissioning of this unit, SCCL has now successfully diversified into the power generation business.
This is the second thermal plant commissioned by BHEL in Telangana within three months. Earlier in December, 2015, BHEL had commissioned a 600 MW thermal power plant at Kakatiya in Telangana. The second unit of Singareni TPP is also in an advanced stage of construction and is expected to be commissioned shortly.
BHEL-built 600 MW rating sets comprise a 4 cylinder turbine, which is designed in-house, amply demonstrating the engineering prowess of BHEL. So far, the company has contracted 21 sets of 600 MW each, of which 15 have already been commissioned.
BHEL has made a major contribution in Telangana’s power sector, with 85% of the coal-based power plants, amounting to 5180 MW being commissioned by BHEL.
Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs
