Energy Publishing Asia Pacific

Despite what may have seemed a fanciful desire on the part of India’s Home Minister, it is clear the scandal which rocked India’s coal sector is not about to disappear. It’s news which has been a welcome distraction for those outside of India.

South Africa’s coal mining sector has been immune to violent protests which have beset the platinum industry, but it may only be a matter of time before the unrest spreads. Energy Publishing’s David McKay takes a closer look at the implications.

Coking coal markets continue to wait for a resolution to the 22-month long industrial dispute which has plagued the BHP Billiton-Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin.

In the lead up to its emergence as a major player in coking coal supply, several analysts have predicted Mongolia’s coking coal will be “sucked up” by Chinese demand with little to none making it onto export markets. China Coal Report has more.

When the Chinese government last week announced a multi-billion dollar infrastructure stimulus package, it had been hoped it would help revive China’s struggling steel sector and lead to increased demand for coking coal. China Coal Report has more.

At first glance you wouldn’t expect the list of lessons India’s coal industry could learn from gas to be very lengthy. While India’s thermal coal sector has stalled in recent years, the country’s gas sector has taken a different path.

Leading Japanese company, Nippon Steel and BMA have reportedly settled the quarterly benchmark coking coal price at US$170/t for Peak Downs/Saraji material and $165/t for Goonyella.

India’s monopoly coal supplier Coal India has told the government it cannot supply enough coal to keep the lights on, so what’s the solution for the complex nation? Energy Publishing looks at how India’s power sector is approaching the issue.

The Queensland coal sector is reeling after the state government this afternoon announced it will hike coal royalties while unveiling what it described as “the most important budget in a generation”.

With talk of China being in for a hard landing rather than the Government’s attempts at a soft landing, thermal coal prices are continuing to suffer. Energy Publishing’s John O’Neil takes a look at the implications for the coal sector.