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Great Lakes coal traffic down 7.3% in November from a year ago

November coal traffic on the Great Lakes totaled 2,675,065 short tons, down 4.1% from October and down 7.3% from a year ago, according to data from the Lake Carriers’ Association. Year-to-date coal shipments on the lakes total 22.4 million st, down 2.7% compared with last year. The Cleveland-based association does not comment on its monthly coal figures, released Thursday. The largest terminal on the lake, the Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, shipped 1,556,945 st in November, down 4.9% from the prior month and down 6.5% from a year ago. Europe-bound exports from the terminal totaled 129,000 st in November, up 5.7% from October. Year-ago comparisons were not immediately available. Year-to-date coal exports from Superior total 1,504,000 st, up 20.1% from the same period last year, according to the association. Thunder Bay Terminals, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, shipped 33,382 st in November, down 33.1% […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Can Coal Feed The Global Energy Appetite In A Healthy Way?

No other fuel source has been tarred more than coal. Yet, no other product has done more to electrify the global population and to bring prosperity to so many. The question the world now faces is whether to up the stakes in relatively cheap coal or whether to make investments in and to depend on sustainable fuels. That’s the proposition that the International Energy Agency’s Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven put forth as she unveiled the agency’s Medium-Term Coal Market Report for 2013 . Her conclusion is that while burning coal is responsible for a third of the carbon dioxide releases, the fuel will remain integral to the world economy. Therefore, the emphasis should be on improving the technology — at least until the greener energies can take root and grow. She focuses on China, which creates the world’s most carbon dioxide emissions . Next Next comes the […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Global coal demand out to 2018 set to slow, says IEA

China will continue to drive global coal demand over the next five years, although growth is likely to slow amid uncertainties such as the country’s increasing adoption of cleaner technologies and implementation of coal consumption cuts in some regions, the International Energy Agency said Monday. The agency cut its average annual coal demand growth forecast for the 2013-2018 period to 2.3% from 2.6%, also citing increased competition from cheaper gas in the US. However, coal once again displayed the largest demand growth of all fossil fuels — including natural gas and oil — in 2012, at 7.697 billion mt, up 170 million mt on 2011. Launching its annual Medium-term Coal Market Report, IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven said that in 2012, coal consumption in the world’s two largest markets, China and the US, was "abnormally weak." Article continues below… Request a free […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Australian coal projects at risk of being 'stranded'

Australian coal projects are in danger of becoming "stranded," a new report by the University of Oxford warns. The report says Australia has proposals for 89 coal mines which could more than double annual output from about 430 million tons in 2011 to about 980 million tons by 2020. China is seen as a key export market for those projects. But the report, commissioned by HSBC’s Climate Change Center of Excellence, points to the changing nature of China’s outlook for coal and the impacts on resource-rich Australia, currently the world’s largest exporter of coal to China. "China’s demand for coal is changing as a result of environment-related factors, including environmental regulation, developments in cleaner technologies, air pollution, improving energy efficiency, developments in gas markets and political activism," Ben Caldecott, co-author of the report was quoted as saying by Business Green. "This could lead […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Australian coal projects at risk of being ‘stranded’

Australian coal projects are in danger of becoming "stranded," a new report by the University of Oxford warns. The report says Australia has proposals for 89 coal mines which could more than double annual output from about 430 million tons in 2011 to about 980 million tons by 2020. China is seen as a key export market for those projects. But the report, commissioned by HSBC’s Climate Change Center of Excellence, points to the changing nature of China’s outlook for coal and the impacts on resource-rich Australia, currently the world’s largest exporter of coal to China. "China’s demand for coal is changing as a result of environment-related factors, including environmental regulation, developments in cleaner technologies, air pollution, improving energy efficiency, developments in gas markets and political activism," Ben Caldecott, co-author of the report was quoted as saying by Business Green. "This could lead […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Lured by cheap coal, Southeast Asia turns away from gas

Southeast Asian power generation capacity to rise 50 pct this decade * More than half of new Southeast Asian capacity to be coal-fired * LNG-fired power twice as expensive as coal-fired power in Asia Southeast Asia’s power sector will tilt away from gas to use more coal by the end of this decade, chipping away at demand for liquefied natural gas as the region of more than 600 million people tries to cut costs to meet soaring electricity needs. With a wave of LNG projects due to come online this decade, this shift in consumption from a region long expected to be a key growth market could help take some of the heat out of rising Asian prices of the cleaner fuel. Gas prices in Asia are about five times more expensive than in the United States, driven by demand for LNG […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Why Uranium & Coal Rank High For Energy Return On Energy Invested

Not all energy options are equally good, says Thomas Drolet, principal of Drolet & Associates Energy Services Inc. Using an “Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI)” calculation to decide which energy sources yield the most for the least energy investment, Drolet sees hydroelectricity, natural gas, uranium and coal at the top of the list. Drolet adds that the need for reliable power will keep baseload power fueled by uranium and coal at the center of the world’s electricity systems for many years, but he tips  The Mining Report  to some technologies looking for investment that can help make coal a more environment-friendly fuel. The Mining Report:  Tom, thanks for joining us today. I’d like to start out with the concept of an “Energy Return on Energy Invested cliff,” which is being debated widely these days.” What is it and what does it mean […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Why Uranium & Coal Rank High For Energy Return On Energy Invested

Not all energy options are equally good, says Thomas Drolet, principal of Drolet & Associates Energy Services Inc. Using an “Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI)” calculation to decide which energy sources yield the most for the least energy investment, Drolet sees hydroelectricity, natural gas, uranium and coal at the top of the list. Drolet adds that the need for reliable power will keep baseload power fueled by uranium and coal at the center of the world’s electricity systems for many years, but he tips  The Mining Report  to some technologies looking for investment that can help make coal a more environment-friendly fuel. The Mining Report:  Tom, thanks for joining us today. I’d like to start out with the concept of an “Energy Return on Energy Invested cliff,” which is being debated widely these days.” What is it and what does it mean […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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China Makes Environmental Case for Increasing Big Coal’s Clout

China is moving to increase the clout of its state-owned coal giants, as it seeks to clean up a sprawling and heavily polluting industry that is nevertheless crucial to its energy needs. In a policy proposal unveiled Thursday, the State Council, China’s cabinet, said it wants big corporate champions to manage the economic development and environmental consequences of the industry, which also has a slew of smaller operators. The government said it would “encourage the consolidation of coal companies, with large-scale companies as the main body, building large-scale modern coal mines within large-scale coal bases.” Analysts said the proposal also puts the industry more firmly under the control of Beijing. The new measures “protect state-owned enterprises as much as they protect the environment,” said North Square Blue Oak energy analyst Miao Tian. In helping state-owned giants to assert their position in the industry, Beijing may be conceding it can’t […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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China Makes Environmental Case for Increasing Big Coal's Clout

China is moving to increase the clout of its state-owned coal giants, as it seeks to clean up a sprawling and heavily polluting industry that is nevertheless crucial to its energy needs. In a policy proposal unveiled Thursday, the State Council, China’s cabinet, said it wants big corporate champions to manage the economic development and environmental consequences of the industry, which also has a slew of smaller operators. The government said it would “encourage the consolidation of coal companies, with large-scale companies as the main body, building large-scale modern coal mines within large-scale coal bases.” Analysts said the proposal also puts the industry more firmly under the control of Beijing. The new measures “protect state-owned enterprises as much as they protect the environment,” said North Square Blue Oak energy analyst Miao Tian. In helping state-owned giants to assert their position in the industry, Beijing may be conceding it can’t […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple