Impacts of seaborne trade on coal importing countries

Before the price recovery in 2016, the price of internationally traded coal took a downward trend for five consecutive years, forcing coal producers to rationalise their operations. Today we see the export coal industry in a much healthier situation, with stronger prices and a lower cost base. This webinar will examine the costs of production of coal from major exporting countries around the world, and look at how cost trends have changed over the years.

Inevitably, the production of coal creates various waste streams, some of which contain enough residual coal to give them potential as sources of energy. Some types may be used directly or alternatively, reprocessed to recover their coal content. They can form low cost fuels that reduce the demand for fresh coal. Furthermore, their use helps minimise the amounts stored in dumps or settling ponds, reducing their unwanted environmental impacts.
This webinar will examine the types of wastes, the amounts generated, and their utilisation for the main coal-producing countries.

Many countries have strict emission limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and so NOx control systems are widely used on coal-fired power plants. India has recently introduced NOx emission limits so pollution control technologies will need to be installed. This webinar will review available NOx controls for coal-fired units in general. With examples of recent developments, systems that could be successfully applied in Indian power plants are identified. The challenges facing Indian utilities are also considered. The new Indian standards have created opportunities for equipment manufacturers, as well as a need for global technology leaders to modify their products to meet local market requirements, particularly high ash content coal.

This webinar will review the supply chain costs of biomass cofiring. In order for cofiring to continue to play a long-term role in a emissions reduction strategy it must be competitive with other renewable technologies in terms of cost and CO2 abatement potential. Tune in to get a better understanding of the current supply chain costs, analysis of the emissions associated with biomass utilisation and the possible effects of government policy on future deployment.

Significant areas of the world are facing a high level of water stress. This webinar will look at the the power generation industry and the challenges it is facing with water availability. Power plant operators can reduce their dependence on fresh water by using non-fresh water sources and conserving water within a power plant. The emphasis will be on the treatment of wastewater from coal-fired power plants and its reuse.

This timely webinar will review the implications of development and deployment of HELE (high efficiency, low emissions) coal power technologies. Some 40% of world power generation comes from coal, which means huge CO2 savings are possible by using HELE technologies. Therefore it is essential to support the use of more efficient coal-fired power, as it's the only realistic way to bring down CO2 emissions. The aim should be to minimise the emissions of CO2 from coal, through improvements in efficiency and the subsequent introduction of CCS.

This timely webinar will review the implications of the Minamata Convention on Mercury on coal. COP1, the 1st Conference of the Parties, of the convention was held in Geneva at the end of September. Tune in to to get a full update on the final text of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and a discussion on the potential consequences for emerging economies who have a significant dependence on coal.

UNEP (the United Nations Environment Programme) first raised the issue of mercury as the most important, unregulated, pollutant in the global environment in the mid 2000s and, in response, established the first INC (International Negotiating Committee) and the UNEP Partnership Areas in 2008. The IEA CCC has been lead of the Coal Partnership since its inception.

Coordinating mercury reduction programmes throughout the world will include numerous social, economic and technological challenges and will be dependent on technology transfer as well as significant international funding. By the time COP1 of Minamata eventually closed, 83 countries had signed the Minamata convention and committed to developing national implementation plans. The next step will be the acceptance of those plans and, ultimately, the movement of these plans into action.

Carbon capture and storage must be implemented on a global scale if ambitious targets for greenhouse gas emissions are to be met, yet deployment of the technology over the last decade has been slow. CCS faces a number of unique barriers, including high upfront costs and investment risks, uncertain public and political support, and a need for new regulatory regimes. To help overcome these barriers, a number of formal collaborations have been established between countries with commitments to CCS development. Multilateral initiatives such as the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum and the Clean Energy Ministerial have sought to share research experience, spread favourable policy and regulation, promote public acceptance, and build mutual trust on commitment to CCS. Several bilateral agreements, often between an OECD country and China, have also been created over the last decade with a view to promote investment and joint research into CCS. This webinar will briefly review the barriers to CCS development and highlight the work of some key multilateral and bilateral initiatives, as well as the challenges they have faced.

This webinar addresses the environmental effects of coal mining and related transport, reviewing the potential environmental impacts arising at all stages of the coal chain. Potential environmental impacts from emissions of dust, water, and local land use are reviewed, highlighting emerging techniques to limit and reduce negative effects.

Examples of best practice for mine operation, transport logistics and dust control will demonstrate the potential for improved performance and environmental sustainability in the field. Socioeconomic impacts, as well as regional employment and community engagement, are also covered. In this day and age mining companies will need to comply with environmental law as well as demonstrating best practice and public engagement to have new projects approved.

This webinar sets out the results of an examination of the prospects for HELE (high efficiency, low emission) technologies in ten major coal-using countries. A recent study examined the role of HELE coal-fired power plant in helping to meet the goal of reduced carbon dioxide emissions. A number of smaller but still significant coal-using counties, based mostly in South East Asia, have attracted attention regarding the future development of their coal-powered generating fleets to meet the needs of their developing economies. These countries are: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Innovative approaches to improving flexibility and emissions from coal-fired power plants. Combining solar power, or natural gas cofiring with coal-fired power plant. Innovative approaches to improving flexibility and emissions from coal-fired power plants. Combining solar power, or natural gas cofiring with coal-fired power plant.
To remain competitive, coal-fired fleets are having to adapt to meet the changing circumstances. Increasingly flexible operation is a key factor in this, and power generators are exploring possible routes forward. New techniques and strategies are being considered or adopted in order to maintain the commercial and economic viability of coal-fired plants.
There are a number of ways in which power plant flexibility can be enhanced – this webinar explores two techniques that show potential - combining solar energy with coal-fired generation, and cofiring natural gas with coal. Both techniques are already used on a commercial basis, although deployment levels are currently low. However, under the appropriate conditions, both show potential for application to some existing and new-build power plants.

The supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle energy conversion system is an innovative concept that converts heat energy to electrical energy through the use of supercritical CO2 as working fluid rather than through steam and water. In this webinar, Qian will give a brief description of supercritical CO2 power cycles and review the recent technology advances in developing supercritical CO2 cycle power generation systems for fossil fuels.

This webinar examines technical developments in coal beneficiation covering dense-media and dry coal treatment, and upgrading various technologies.

Amid a global trend to use low quality, inexpensive coal, it is now recognised that feedstock quality is a key element of a future power strategy to raise power station performance and meet environmental legislation. Preparing feedstock in order to remove inert matter and reduce contaminants can benefit every aspect of a coal plant operation. We examine technical developments in coal beneficiation covering dense-media and dry coal treatment, and upgrading technologies such as coal refining, digestion, oxidation, fuel blending and biomass substitution.

Lignite or brown coal, the lowest quality coal, is normally used in its raw state resulting in significant energy and reliability penalties. Energy efficient technologies to reduce moisture and ash levels can significantly improve performance. As lignite demand declines in OECD countries, alternate markets are being sought that utilise synthesised humates.

What are the major institutional challenges and financial opportunities emerging for new HELE coal power plants? This webinar will examine the trends in coal project finance worldwide and accompanies one of the latest reports published by the IEA Clean Coal Centre.

Publicly funded financial institutions such as multilateral development banks (MDB) and export credit agencies (ECA) based in OECD America and Europe have, since 2013, adopted strict lending rules for greenfield coal power projects. Greenfield projects may be supported financially, but it they will be authorised under rare and exceptional circumstances only. However, these particular financial institutions form a fairly small proportion of the funding made available to coal power projects worldwide. There is evidence that many other banks are willing to support High Efficiency and Low Emission, or HELE, coal technology in Asia, even in the wake of COP21.

In Asia, public funding agencies and commercial banks in Japan, Korea, and China are pursuing coal projects abroad with the view of exporting their own HELE technologies to other regions, even into Europe. This means the impact of reduced funding from western public agencies might not be so severe. Furthermore, the arrival of the newly formed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) could provide exciting opportunities for funding of cleaner coal technologies in the future.

The vulnerability of the power generation industry to constraints in water availability is widespread and growing, and this is increasing the pressure on power plant operators to conserve water. This webinar will discuss where water can be conserved or recovered within pulverised coal-fired power plants. It will include ways of saving water in bottom ash handling, pollution control (flue gas desulphurisation), and cooling systems. Cooling typically accounts for the largest usage of water (where water is the coolant), and wet flue gas desulphurisation is the second largest use at wet-cooled plants. Techniques for recovering water from the pulveriser and pre-dryer exhausts, and from the flue gas are also discussed. There is an opportunity for power plants to become a supplier of both electricity and water, if sufficient water can be economically recovered from the flue gas. This could be a way forward for some coal fired power plants in the future, as well as helping to solve local fresh water shortages.

Legislation is being implemented around the world to reduce emissions of pollutants from coal-fired power plants. For those countries that started to apply control strategies several years ago, the control technology market has evolved alongside the legislation in a somewhat piecemeal manner. So the majority of older plants in developed regions have applied controls in series: control technologies for particulates first, followed by controls for SO2, and then controls for NOx. New legislation is introducing requirements for mercury and fine particulate control in some regions, often requiring further retrofitting of additional control systems. For those emerging regions that are just starting to bring in control requirements, there is the option of copying this piece-by-piece approach to control, or alternatively to apply newer technologies which can control several pollutants simultaneously. This multi-pollutant approach could be cost-effective in many regions. However, the applicability of different technologies varies. For example, regions with high ash and/or high sulphur coals may require different control strategies from those with intrinsically cleaner coals. Also, availability of water, land and funds will all play a role in determining which technology will be applied at each plant. And so the control technology market that is currently expanding in Asia may differ significantly from that in North America and the EU. The international marketing strategies for emission control technology manufacturers must take into account differences in performance standards, economic challenges, business traditions and many other factors. This webinar summarises the potential markets for emissions control noting the areas for potential growth, such as China, Poland, India and Indonesia. Each has its own regional issues.

Following a few early failures of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects due to public opposition to the technology, a considered public communication strategy is now regarded as an essential factor in the success of any prospective CCS project. Most active opposition to CCS has occurred in parts of Europe, where public fears over CO2 leaks, water contamination, or ‘industrialisation’ of rural areas combined with opposition by environmental groups and others to fossil fuels playing any role in a future energy mix. However, many other projects have since won acceptance or even widespread support, thanks either to improved public engagement or more favourable local context. Several key features of a successful communication strategy have been identified, including the need for engagement early in the process, encouraging and responding to community feedback, building and maintaining trust in the project developers, and use of a dedicated communications team with clear messages which are tailored to their intended audience. This report provides a comprehensive review of the public outreach strategy and results at most notable CCS demonstrations to date, and looks to future challenges for CCS communication. With the barrier of local acceptance appearing surmountable in most regions, the problem of making the wider case for CCS as a viable option for climate change mitigation largely remains. This could potentially be addressed through education initiatives and more effective use of mass media.

The webinar opens with an overview of the current status of coal power generation. This will be followed by discussion of the operating ratios for power generating companies. Operating ratios represent revenue and expense categories found on a typical financial statement. They can be presented as a ratio or a percentage value. The smaller the operating ratio, the greater margin an organisation has to make a profit. These ratios allow a company to compare its operational performance across various times, analyse its data and take the necessary steps in order to maintain its operational performance and as such, as low an operating ratio (%) as possible. Many factors contribute towards the operating costs of a power generating company including the cost of fuel, staff, operation & maintenance (O&M) costs and depreciation and amortisation. The higher costs these factors are, the higher the operating ratio will be and, therefore, the lower the operational efficiency of a company. The cost of coal-fired power generation varies at the national and plant level. However, due to the increase in renewable energy, coal-fired power has shifted in many countries from baseload to load following mode necessitating flexibility in power plant operations. The more frequent cycling of coal-fired power plants can cause thermal and pressure stresses. Over time, these can result in premature or unplanned component failure and increased maintenance. Repeated starting up and shutting down of a unit, or operating at part load, can also increase emissions compared to non-cyclic operation. Measures can be taken to minimise the impact of cycling on plant performance. Assessment and control of O&M costs play a major role in calculating operating ratios. The webinar finishes with future projections for coal in power generation.

Around half of the world’s estimated recoverable coal reserves comprise coals of low quality and value. These are mainly subbituminous and high-ash bituminous coals, and various grades of lignite. All are important for power generation and cogeneration. Each coal type brings its own combination of advantages and disadvantages. Despite the latter, a number of countries have turned increasingly to the use of such coals.
In the last decade, subbituminous coals and coals with higher ash content have been introduced into the market and traded in increasing quantities. As reserves of some better quality export coals have been depleted, there has been a shift towards the greater use of variants of lower quality, often to cut costs. However, switching may reduce power plant efficiency, increase emissions, and escalate plant maintenance requirements.
A number of major economies rely heavily on indigenous resources of lower quality coals as they may be the main energy resource available and are often cheap to mine using large scale opencast techniques. They can provide a secure source of energy and help minimise dependence on imported supplies.
The webinar examines the current production and use of these three categories of coal and discusses what the future may hold. All three are expected to continue to play a major role in energy production for some time.