Coal-burning plants are the world’s biggest producers of electricity. But as climate change worries mount, the billions of tons of greenhouse gases they emit each year have put in doubt coal’s future as a cheap, home-grown source of electricity.

The United States, through the FutureGen project, had hoped to help change that by developing the world’s first full-scale nearly emission-free coal plant in Downstate Illinois. But with the billion-dollar project in financial restructuring and on hold, a small pilot plant in Spremberg is now spearheading the global push to make coal a clean fuel.
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PetroChina, the country’s largest oil and gas producer, has signed its first natural gas distribution agreement, in which it will be responsible for selling natural gas distributed through the pipeline from Burma to Yunnan province, sources reported.

Under the agreement, PetroChina’s subsidiary PetroChina Kunlun Gas Ltd (51%) along with three local companies, namely Kunming Cola Gas Ltd (20%), Yunnan Investment Group (20%) and Yunnan Changan Investment Corp (20%) will incorporate a joint venture, which is set to provide urban natural gas distribution services to Kunming city, according to a spokesman at Kunming Coal Gas. Read more » »

New and information on ABC News reported, Macarthur Coal says it will decide by the end of the year whether to proceed with a thermal coal mine in the North Burnett.

The company was granted a mining lease for the site near Monto in 2005, but needs to assess whether it is still financially viable.

Executive general manager of projects, Michael Gray, says if the mine does go ahead it will create up to 70 jobs.
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The New Mexico attorney general’s office has filed a brief appealing an air permit for a planned coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation in northwestern New Mexico.

The state filed the brief Thursday with the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Appeals Board, which can withdraw the permit if it agrees with any of New Mexico’s arguments, the attorney general’s office said in a news release.

Conservation and Navajo groups have already appealed the air permit issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the 1,500-megawatt Desert Rock plant near Farmington.
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U.S. Department of Energy’sEnergy Information Administration revealed that total U.S. coal production was 22.74 million short tons in the week ended September 27.

Production so far in 2008 is 1.2 percent higher than at the same point in 2007.

This compared to 22.56 million short tons in the previous week. In the comparable week last year, the country produced 22.63 million short tons of coal.

In the three biggest coal-producing states, output increased in Kentucky and West Virginia, but dipped somewhat in Pennsylvania. Read more » »

South African coal producers are looking at ways to overcome constraints on Transnet’s rail capacity to Richards Bay, which is expected to be well below the 91-million tons of export capacity coming on stream at the privately-owned Richards Bay Coal Terminal next year.

Coal of Africa said its Mooiplaats thermal coal project near Ermelo, which is on track to start mining in November, had signed agreements to export 900,000 tons of coal a year from next year through the Dry Bulk Terminal, operated by Grindrod, at Richards Bay.
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Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain are duking it out over who will pump more government money into controversial plans to control greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Officials from both campaigns promise that their candidate backs “clean coal,” will protect coal-mining jobs and ensure a priority spot for coal in the nation’s energy future.

But both provide few details for their plans, and have not explained how they would overcome a long history of hurdles that have hampered the government’s clean-coal program for decades.
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Firestone Energy, Australian mining exploration company, supported its planned acquisition of a stake in two South African coal projects, near Exxaro’s Grootegeluk mine, it said on Thursday.

The company planned to buy the Vetleleegte and Olieboomsfontein coal projects by acquiring Checkered Flag Investments, which has the rights to earn the stakes under a joint-venture agreement with Limpopo-based Sekoko Resources.
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Kevin Rudd has summoned mining and industry chief executives, environmentalists and union leaders to Canberra this morning to unveil a $100 million clean coal research institute aimed at making Australia the world hub for the climate-change-fighting technology.

The launch is the start of a major diplomatic effort to win international support and funding for the plan, aimed at realising the goal set by the G8 at its recent meeting in Hokkaido of having 20 carbon-sequestering coal-fired power plants up and running by 2020.
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The company said in a statement filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that revenue in the Jan.-Jun period climbed 83% to hit HK$9.49 billion, compared with HK$5.18 billion. Earnings per share increased to HK$0.984 from HK$0.283.

China’s energy and base metals producer CITIC Resources Holdings Ltd<1205> announced on Monday its net profit jumped almost fourfold in the first half-year ended on June 30 to HK$520.1 million from HK$138.3 million a year earlier, fueled by increased oil output and record high of metal prices.
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