Support the Arctic Sea Ice Forum and Blog

Author Topic: Coal  (Read 582361 times)

JimD

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 2272
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 6
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #400 on: April 14, 2015, 05:12:58 AM »
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. Alexander Solzhenitsyn

How is it conceivable that all our technological progress - our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal? Albert Einstein

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #401 on: April 15, 2015, 01:22:33 AM »
Interactive map in the linked article shows coal plants which meet EPA standards, are being converted to gas, or being retired.

Obama's EPA Rule Is Redrawing the U.S. Coal Map
Quote
America’s oldest coal plants are retiring like they’re Baby Boomers, and some of them are the same age. About 17 percent of U.S. coal-fired power generation will vanish in the next few years — some 7.5 percent this year alone, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Obstacles facing coal plants include their age, the abundance of cheap natural gas and a new EPA rule that begins taking effect April 16.
http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-coal-plants/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

P-maker

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 389
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 72
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #402 on: April 17, 2015, 12:50:39 AM »
Democracy works!!!

A bold divestment decision was made this evening in Denmark. At the general assembly of a major pension funds association, it was decided (761 for, 569 against, 4 blanks) to divest pension funds  from fossil fuel companies. The decision means that all shares in the 100 largest coal companies will be sold as soon as possible and no later than 2018. The decision also encourages the administrators of the pension funds to engage in a critical dialogue with oil and gas companies with an aim of “avoiding high risk investments in tar sands, deep sea drilling and arctic exploration.”

The pension fund association has about 100,000 members and a total capital of 39 billion DKK ( ~ 5 billion Euro). This democratic decision is a follow-up on a similar decision made by the pension fund association of Danish architects on Tuesday evening.

The  debate ahead of the vote brought forward a wealth of good arguments from ordinary members, grandmas, hipsters, conservatives and business people alike. A true victory for a democratic divestment campaign.

Laurent

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 2546
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 50
Re: Coal
« Reply #403 on: April 24, 2015, 09:38:41 AM »

sidd

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 6774
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1047
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #404 on: May 02, 2015, 04:55:15 AM »
Heh hehe heh. Alpha turns the knife. Poor Don, so sad. Like they said about Nixon, he was so paranoid, he bugged _himself_

http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150501/GZ01/150509917/1101

"In the Delaware case, Alpha is basically arguing that it has the right to stop funding Blankenship’s defense because company officials “determined that Mr. Blankenship had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.” Under previous agreements with Blankenship, Massey, and then Alpha, had promised to cover his legal costs, but Alpha says it could cut off payments if Blankenship knew he was breaking the law."

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

sidd

Yuha

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 368
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 78
  • Likes Given: 34
Re: Coal
« Reply #405 on: May 19, 2015, 03:47:29 PM »
Coal's Future Facing Three Hurdles and Steady Decline, Projections Show

http://insideclimatenews.org/carbon-copy/18052015/coals-future-facing-three-hurdles-and-steady-decline-projections-epa-clean-power-plan


Quote
About 13 gigawatts of coal-fired generating capacity, more than 4 percent of the nation's 300 or so gigawatts of coal, is expected to retire this year. New wind plants will add 10 gigawatts. Solar will add 2 gigawatts more. Gas will provide another 6 gigawatts.

jai mitchell

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 2357
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 207
  • Likes Given: 60
Re: Coal
« Reply #406 on: May 20, 2015, 05:23:27 PM »
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-18/china-war-on-smog-seen-dooming-coal-amid-cheap-but-dirty-purge

Coal prices will never recover, ever

China Smog War Seen Dooming Coal on ‘Cheap But Dirty’ Purge
Haiku of Futures Passed
My "burning embers"
are not tri-color bar graphs
+3C today

Yuha

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 368
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 78
  • Likes Given: 34
Re: Coal
« Reply #407 on: May 30, 2015, 12:24:54 AM »
Inside the war on coal

http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002

Quote
Beyond Coal is the most extensive, expensive and effective campaign in the Club’s 123-year history, and maybe the history of the environmental movement. It’s gone largely unnoticed amid the furor over the Keystone pipeline and President Barack Obama’s efforts to regulate carbon, but it’s helped retire more than one third of America’s coal plants since its launch in 2010, one dull hearing at a time. With a vast war chest donated by Michael Bloomberg, unlikely allies from the business world, and a strategy that relies more on economics than ecology, its team of nearly 200 litigators and organizers has won battles in the Midwestern and Appalachian coal belts, in the reddest of red states, in almost every state that burns coal.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #408 on: June 02, 2015, 10:09:30 PM »
NRDC:
Under the Rug
How governments and international institutions are hiding billions in support to the coal industry.

Quote
The full extent of government financing for coal overseas is not common knowledge, and it is revealed here for the first time. A very large amount of public financing has been flowing to coal projects around the world. Our analysis finds that public finance has played a significant role in supporting coal projects over the last 8 years. Between 2007 and 2014, more than US $73 billion – or over $9 billion a year – in public finance was approved for coal.

This funding is being provided by a handful of countries that continue to resist pressure to end this public financing. Japan provided the largest amount of coal financing of any country, with over $20 billion of finance from 2007 to 2014. In the OECD, Korea and Germany were the next largest sources of funding for coal.... Japan, Korea and Australia are leading the opposition to limits on coal finance in international discussions.
http://priceofoil.org/content/uploads/2015/05/Under_The_Rug_NRDC_OCI_WWF_Jun_2015.pdf
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #409 on: June 08, 2015, 09:43:47 PM »
Quote
@jackcushmanjr: Peabody, under severe financial pressure, will cut corporate HQ and regional staff to save $40+ million per year. http://t.co/fHBM86VZi9
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peabody-energy-announces-leaner-corporate-structure-with-planned-reduction-of-approximately-250-salaried-positions-300095554.html
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #410 on: June 08, 2015, 09:46:59 PM »
The U.S.’s Biggest Coal Company -- Peabody -- Can’t Pay To Clean Up Its Own Mines
Quote
Reuters reported last week that St. Louis-based Peabody Energy is “under scrutiny” from the federal government over concerns that the company is violating federal bonding regulations that are intended to guarantee that if a mining company goes bankrupt, it has sufficient insurance to pay to clean up its own mines. Instead of paying a third party for cleanup insurance, Peabody Energy has sought to comply with federal and state rules by promising regulators that it has sufficient financial resources on hand to pay for any cleanup costs — a practice known as self-bonding.

A review of securities filings by Reuters, however, found that at the end of 2014, Peabody’s assets were insufficient to meet federal and state self-bonding requirements. According to Reuters, “slumping coal prices and declining demand have put [coal] industry balance sheets under stress,” raising serious questions about whether Peabody and its competitors can continue to insure their own operations. In 2014, Peabody posted more than $700 million in losses.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/06/08/3667061/coal-cleanup-insurance/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #411 on: June 09, 2015, 05:36:20 PM »
Forget Greenhouse Gas Rules. Nearly 60 Percent of Kentucky’s Coal Plants May Be Gone by 2040.
Quote
The EPA is expected to finalize its carbon dioxide regulations later this summer, and many lawmakers have expressed concern and frustration that the rules will burden Kentucky ratepayers. Electricity rates in Kentucky may inevitably rise as coal plants retire, but that’s not directly related to the carbon dioxide rules. Regulators expect that Kentucky won’t have to do very much to comply with the EPA’s upcoming greenhouse gas regulations, because so many plants are going offline anyway.

New coal-fired power plants are unlikely to be built, because EPA rules finalized last year put limits on the greenhouse gas emissions those plants can emit. The EPA’s limit would mean that any new coal plant would need to incorporate some type of carbon capture technology; this may not be a deal breaker in the future, but right now, carbon capture equipment is prohibitively expensive.

Peters also told the committee that Kentucky’s demand for electricity has nearly flattened. That’s partly because one of the state’s major electricity users—the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion plant—has shut down. Increased energy efficiency has played a role, too. All of these factors mean that not all of the retiring coal units will have to be replaced to power the state.
http://wfpl.org/forget-greenhouse-gas-rules-nearly-60-percent-kentuckys-coal-plants-may-gone-2040/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Buddy

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3379
  • Go DUCKS!!
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 49
  • Likes Given: 34
Re: Coal
« Reply #412 on: June 09, 2015, 05:43:35 PM »
"Policy" is always in the BACK END of things.  In other words....it changes near the end.  Think about banking regulations.....they happened AFTER everything went to hell.

Especially here in the US where politicians are basically bought off by lobbyists (campaign donations:).....Congressmen are paid to drag their feet for their favorite lobby groups.  Coal and other fossil fuels have continued to buy their ability to pollute the environment.

The thing that is killing.....and will continue to kill......fossil fuels in general, will be the growing EFFICIENCY of alternative energy sources over time.  And they will drive DOWN the price of electricity over coming decades.

Just think:  (1) no health problems from fossil fuel...AND...(2) lower cost.  Businesses continue to move towards renewables.....regardless of what Congress does.
FOX (RT) News....."The Trump Channel.....where truth and journalism are dead."

wili

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3342
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 602
  • Likes Given: 409
Re: Coal
« Reply #413 on: June 09, 2015, 06:05:52 PM »
"Think about banking regulations.....they happened AFTER everything went to hell."

Exactly, but if we wait till the earth has gone to hell, it will be a bit late for regulations.

And cheaper electricity is not necessarily a good thing.

We need ff companies to start to pay something for the cost of their pollution. Other companies generally can't get away with spewing tens of billions of tons of pollution into the environment for no cost. Why should this one?

And further, since we now know that the real 'cost' of these pollutants is the very viability of the planet, we have to now regulate them out of existence, as we would for any other existential threat.
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Buddy

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3379
  • Go DUCKS!!
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 49
  • Likes Given: 34
Re: Coal
« Reply #414 on: June 09, 2015, 06:30:01 PM »
Quote
Exactly, but if we wait till the earth has gone to hell, it will be a bit late for regulations.

Yes...I would certainly agree with that.  I think "we" (humans) have waited till it is SO OBVIOUS...that we have to change.  For instance.....Lindsay Graham is a Republican running for president of the US and even HE admits humans are the cause of global warming....and that it is actually warming.   In addition...you see a LOT of companies moving to alternative energy to get their electricity.  Walmart, Apple, Johnson and Johnson, etc...etc.  It will continue to grow as alternative energy continues to drop.

Quote
And cheaper electricity is not necessarily a good thing

It will be a good thing IF we begin to understand that we have to level off population.  The over arching "theme" needs to be about building a SUSTAINABLE EARTH.  There are only two choices after all:  (a) a sustainable earth, and (b) an earth that is NOT sustainable.

Quote
And further, since we now know that the real 'cost' of these pollutants is the very viability of the planet, we have to now regulate them out of existence, as we would for any other existential threat.

Absolutely agree that it would be better to raise the cost of fossil fuels.  I like Hansen's idea to create a "fee and dividend" structure instead of a carbon tax (that way it is revenue neutral.....the additional cost to heavy users is paid out to citizens as a dividend).



FOX (RT) News....."The Trump Channel.....where truth and journalism are dead."

sidd

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 6774
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1047
  • Likes Given: 0

ritter

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 573
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 24
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #416 on: June 10, 2015, 10:10:42 PM »
"Think about banking regulations.....they happened AFTER everything went to hell."

Exactly, but if we wait till the earth has gone to hell, it will be a bit late for regulations.

One of the problems with climate change is that it is not a directly observable phenomenon. It could be argued that we (the US) let our country's environment go to hell with air and water pollution (rivers literally burned they were so polluted). This was a very visible problem and one that demanded (albeit late) attention. The Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act have largely improved conditions in the US since those regulations were enacted in the early 70s. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have a history of letting things get visibly awful before we take meaningful action. With climate change, meaningful action is not possible to save our bacon because the payback is too long. But historic precedent and perception says we've still got time because the rivers aren't burning.  :(

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #417 on: July 11, 2015, 01:32:22 PM »
DOE suspends stimulus funding for Calif. carbon-capture project
Quote
The Department of Energy has suspended Recovery Act funding for a California project to trap carbon emissions from a coal-fired power plant, an agency spokeswoman said.

DOE had set aside $408 million for Hydrogen Energy California LLC's effort to produce power from coal and petroleum coke, trap most of its CO2 emissions, and use the carbon for making fertilizer and stimulating oil wells. Of the total, $275 million was American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars.

But DOE says HECA has not met certain benchmarks. The company has, for example, recently said it failed to secure customers for the enhanced oil recovery portion of the project.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060021604
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: Coal
« Reply #418 on: July 13, 2015, 04:41:17 PM »
The linked document indicates that while progress is being made to reduce the rate of growth of the recent boom in coal-fired power plants; the likely number of new coal-fired power plants that will likely be built, without intervention, will likely push the world past the 2C goal all by themselves (see attached image):

Christine Shearer, Nicole Ghio, Lauri Myllyvirta, and Ted Nace (2015), "Boom and Bust - TRACKING THE GLOBAL COAL PLANT PIPELINE", Sierra Club

http://action.sierraclub.org/site/DocServer/Coal_Tracker_report_final_3-9-15.pdf?docID=17381


See also:
http://www.vox.com/2015/7/9/8922901/coal-renaissance-numbers
Extract: "There's a large amount of coal capacity being planned worldwide, some 2,177 plants in all. Not all of these coal plants will actually get finished — many are getting sunk by local opposition or economic headwinds. But if even one-third of these planned plants get built, we run a high risk of busting through the 2°C global warming threshold. And right now, we're on track to do just that."
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #419 on: July 16, 2015, 01:26:15 AM »
United States phases out 200th coal plant as momentum for renewable energy grows.

Quote
Alliant Energy, a major Iowa utility, has committed to phase out coal use at six of its plants in the state, marking the 200th coal plant to shut down in the United States.  This marks a milestone in the country’s transition to clean energy and underscores Iowa’s growth as a clean energy state. The announced coal plant retirements are the result of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign advocacy, which has been a driving force in the national transition to renewable sources of power. The retirement of 200 coal plants nationwide represents the phase out of nearly 40 percent of the 523 U.S. coal plants that were in operation just five years ago.
http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2015/07/united-states-phases-out-200th-coal-plant-momentum-renewable-energy-grows
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #420 on: July 16, 2015, 01:40:58 AM »
Coal Stocks Will Only Get Worse
Quote
Coal prices have crashed, and as a result coal giant Peabody Energy (BTU) is down almost 80% year-to-date, with other large coal stocks Consol Energy (CNX), Cloud Peak (CLD) and Alliance Resource Partners (ARLP) down about 40% to 50% since January.

Smaller companies like Arch Coal (ACI) and Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) are both down 80%, too, though it’s worth noting they both trade for less than 30 cents and have market caps of less than $50 million so volatility and big risks can always be expected in stocks this size.

So will it ever get better for coal stocks?

The short answer: Not bloody likely.
http://investorplace.com/2015/07/coal-stocks-btu-cnx-arlp-aci-anr/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #421 on: July 20, 2015, 01:34:26 AM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #422 on: July 20, 2015, 03:35:58 PM »
Biggest Coal Polluters Dominate U.S. Emissions
Despite a downward trend in coal use and emissions overall by utilities, a handful still pump an inordinate amount into the air.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/16072015/biggest-coal-polluters-dominate-emissions-utilities-obama-epa-clean-power-plan
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Tor Bejnar

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 4606
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 879
  • Likes Given: 826
Re: Coal
« Reply #423 on: July 21, 2015, 03:33:33 PM »
Quote
Slumping coal market becomes a 'wild card' for investors

Natural gas made history by surpassing coal as the top U.S. electric energy source in April. Now the market damage begins to flow in through earnings reports.

In 2010, coal yielded 45 percent of U.S. electricity (ClimateWire, July 15). Now the country has moved into a different economic world where, in April, natural gas provided 31 percent of America's electricity, coal combustion generated 30 percent and nuclear stations contributed 20 percent of the nationwide mix, while renewables and others made up the difference.
from E&E Publishing Service's ClimateWire - subscription required
Arctic ice is healthy for children and other living things because "we cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice"

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #424 on: July 26, 2015, 08:55:35 PM »
Earth's biggest coal mine, in Australia, may not be built.
Quote
Work on one of the world’s biggest coal projects has ground to a halt with the Indian coal giant Adani dissolving the project management team behind its controversial Carmichael mine in Queensland.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/22/adani-dissolves-50-strong-project-team-from-troubled-165bn-carmichael-mine
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #425 on: July 30, 2015, 02:06:48 AM »
Tony Abbott wrong on coal being ‘good for humanity’, Oxfam report finds
Quote
Tony Abbott is mistaken in claiming coal is “good for humanity”, with the fossil fuel causing numerous health problems and ineffective in delivering electricity to the world’s poor compared with renewables, a new Oxfam report has found.

The Powering Up Against Poverty study argues the Australian government’s continued embrace of coal exports is out of step with an international shift towards clean energy and would do little to help the one in seven of the world’s population who do not have electricity to light their homes or cook food.
...
“We are very concerned by this myopic focus on coal,” said Dr Simon Bradshaw, author of the Oxfam report. “Coal is the single biggest contributor to climate change, the impacts of which are most felt by poorer people through floods, drought, cyclones and changes to food patterns.

“We can clearly see in rural areas, and even rapidly growing urban populations, that renewable energy is a much more affordable and healthy solution for developing countries than coal.”

Decentralised energy systems, such as solar, can be deployed quicker and more cheaply than coal, when its cost to the climate and health are factored in, Oxfam said. Nearly 85% of people without electricity live in remote rural areas, separated from centralised coal-fired grid systems.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/29/tony-abbott-wrong-on-coal-being-good-for-humanity-oxfam-report-shows
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #426 on: July 30, 2015, 03:59:10 PM »
World Bank rejects energy industry notion that coal can cure poverty
Quote
“Do I think coal is the solution to poverty? There are more than 1 billion people today who have no access to energy,” Kyte said. Hooking them up to a coal-fired grid would not on its own wreck the planet, she went on.

But Kyte added: “If they all had access to coal-fired power tomorrow their respiratory illness rates would go up, etc, etc … We need to extend access to energy to the poor and we need to do it the cleanest way possible because the social costs of coal are uncounted and damaging, just as the global emissions count is damaging as well.”
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/29/world-bank-coal-cure-poverty-rejects
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #427 on: August 03, 2015, 10:12:04 PM »
Coal giant Peabody posts $1billion second quarter losses

The US coal sector is being squeezed by divestment campaigns and oversupply in global markets


http://www.rtcc.org/2015/07/29/coal-giant-peabody-posts-1bn-second-quarter-losses/#.dpuf
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Anne

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 531
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: Coal
« Reply #428 on: August 06, 2015, 01:16:57 PM »
Is it too late to stop Turkey's coal rush?
Quote
Turkey has very big plans for coal, with more than 80 new plants in the pipeline, equivalent in capacity to the UK’s entire power sector. The scale of the coal rush is greater than any country on Earth, after China and India.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/06/is-it-too-late-to-stop-turkeys-coal-rush

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #429 on: August 06, 2015, 07:12:49 PM »
Australia:  Adani Mining and Commonwealth Bank Part Ways, Casting Further Doubt on Carmichael Coal Project
Quote
The Commonwealth Bank's role as adviser to Australia's biggest coal project, Adani Mining's proposed Carmichael Mine in Queensland, has ended, dealing a heavy blow to its prospects and a significant victory for environmental groups.

It comes as environmentalists claimed a victory in their case against the project after the Federal Court overturned Adani's federal environmental approval. Environment Minister Greg Hunt was forced to concede defeat for not taking into account two threatened species – the yakka skink and ornamental snake – before he signed off on the project in 2014.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/adani-and-commonwealth-bank-part-ways-casting-further-doubt-on-carmichael-coal-project-20150805-gisd1l.html
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Clare

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 167
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 5
  • Likes Given: 1
Re: Coal
« Reply #430 on: August 07, 2015, 08:53:51 AM »
Some good news = closure of NZ's biggest coal-fired power station in 2018 announced:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11492939

Note. NZ already has high 75++% of renewable power generation from hydro + other sources. Our huge emissions problem is mainly from the farming & transport sectors.
Still this is a v good step in the right direction!

Clare

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #431 on: August 13, 2015, 01:38:00 AM »
Quote
@billmckibben: More than 1000 people already on hand for this weekend's massive civil disobedience at huge German coal mine http://t.co/pPLtiZMRAT

https://twitter.com/billmckibben/status/631577839981199361
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

JimD

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 2272
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 6
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #432 on: August 19, 2015, 07:44:57 PM »
Coal prices are plunging along with almost all commodities and the global economy weakens.  This does create the situation where coal is so cheap now that generating power with it is much cheaper than some of the better alternatives.  One can safely bet that some very financially stressed entities, especially in the developing and 3rd world, may find it 'necessary' to maintain coal facilities or even to ramp up coal facilities at the cost of scaling back alternatives.

Just speaking in financial terms as used by business coal has gained back most of the ground it recently lost and is going to be cheaper than most of the alternatives in many locations.

Quote
Coal futures have fallen to 12-year lows, hit by soaring production and a slowdown in global buying, including from India and China which until recently have been pillars of strong demand.
Benchmark API2 2016 coal futures last settled at $US52.85 a tonne, a level not seen since November 2003. The contract is now over 75 per cent below its 2008 all-time peak and more than 60 per cent below its most recent high following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

Quote
...Yet at some point the low coal prices could also start to stimulate demand as it has made the fuel super-competitive against its main competitor, natural gas.
Reuters calculations show that the revenues from selling electricity generated from coal in Germany are around 20 euros per megawatt-hour higher than those produced from natural gas.

Emerging markets which have yet to provide blanket electricity to its households and need cheap energy to develop their industry also still mostly rely on coal as their main fuel as they prioritize low costs over environmental concerns.....

http://www.smh.com.au/business/energy/coal-prices-fall-to-12year-lows-as-china-india-join-demand-slowdown-20150819-gj2jk6.html
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. Alexander Solzhenitsyn

How is it conceivable that all our technological progress - our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal? Albert Einstein

JimD

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 2272
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 6
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #433 on: August 21, 2015, 10:34:04 PM »
I stole this from mati in another thread.

Quote
Conclusion of a Letter of Intent to Develop World's Most Advanced Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plants in Fukushima Prefecture...

The project aims to construct and operate two 540 MW class IGCC facilities in Fukushima: one at TEPCO's Hirono Thermal Power Station and the other at Joban Joint Power Company's Nakoso Thermal Power Station....

 IGCC systems generate power using a combined-cycle format incorporating coal gasification and both gas and steam turbines. IGCC systems offer enhanced generation efficiency**, as well as reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of about 15% in comparison with the latest conventional coal fired power plant.

Hmm so 85% of standard coal plant emissions.  I can't seem to feel all that much better about that.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2015/1257870_6844.html
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. Alexander Solzhenitsyn

How is it conceivable that all our technological progress - our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal? Albert Einstein

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #434 on: August 27, 2015, 07:41:03 PM »
Report: How Energy Union can turn the tide against coal in the Western Balkans
Quote
In that sense, 2015 became crucial for the Western Balkans too. Decisions made this year will lay ground for reshaping its energy system over the next several years.

Heavy reliance on coal in the region should start declining thanks to the ongoing reform of the Energy Community Treaty, which aims at bringing about an integrated energy market between the EU on one side, and the Western Balkans and the Black Sea region on the other. The reform will partly be outlined at the Ministerial Council in Tirana in October and will continue through to 2017. It is expected that the Energy Efficiency Directive and further strengthening of the enforcement will be adopted, having major implications for regional and national energy planning.

Furthermore, accession countries are obliged to start tuning their energy sectors with the EU climate and environmental policies, if they want to enhance their prospects of becoming EU Member States in the next decade. Simultaneously, political leaders need to fight the so-called enlargement fatigue on both sides of the EU border.

To this end, the so-called Berlin process started last year with a high level conference hosted by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The process is aimed at reviving accession talks with the region and bringing about real change, through economic cooperation and the energy and transport connectivity agenda. It will continue in the coming years. At this year’s meeting, the Western Balkans’ leaders are expected to agree on a list of five priority energy infrastructure projects that will receive EU funding in 2016.
Pdf: http://www.caneurope.org/docman/position-papers-and-research/coal-2/2676-beyond-borders/file
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #435 on: September 01, 2015, 09:37:07 PM »
Paying more for coal power than it would cost to switch.

Let Coal Die a Natural Death
Quote
In Ohio, the Public Utilities Commission is considering a request from the Akron company FirstEnergy to have consumers cover the higher cost of electricity from three aging coal plants. (One of these just underwent a $1.8 billion pollution-control upgrade to comply with federal law.) The aim is to keep the plants open for another 15 years. Under this plan, FirstEnergy ratepayers could spend $3 billion more than necessary for electricity, according to the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, a state agency.

The strategy is similar to one FirstEnergy followed in West Virginia, when it got state approval to sell a coal-fired plant to its regulated subsidiaries, so that when the price of coal power became uncompetitive, the subsidiaries could secure an officially sanctioned rate increase. Earlier this month, they asked for a 12.5 percent rate rise.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-09-01/let-coal-die-a-natural-death
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

skanky

  • New ice
  • Posts: 63
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #436 on: September 03, 2015, 12:03:31 PM »
Probably closure of a large coal fired plant in the UK:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-34127897

It's noticeable how the (local) news coverage by the BBC doesn't mention climate change. The TV discussion last night mentioned a policy to move to less CO2 emitting forms, but there was no context to that.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #437 on: September 03, 2015, 09:40:30 PM »
National Australia Bank rules out funding Adani’s Carmichael mine
Quote
Australia’s biggest proposed project was dealt another blow this week, as the National Australia Bank ruled out funding, and key customer Korean electronics giant LG ruled itself out as a buyer.
http://tcktcktck.org/2015/09/national-australia-bank-rules-out-funding-adanis-carmichael-mine/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #438 on: September 05, 2015, 07:33:26 PM »
The End of Coal is Near
Quote
We are witnessing the end of an era. Coal is fast becoming the telegraph to renewable energy’s Internet. American coal stocks are undergoing the most precipitous decline in the history of the energy industry. In 2011, four mining companies — Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, Alpha Natural Resources and Cloud Peak Energy — supplied most of the nation’s coal and together were worth nearly $40 billion.  In four years, their combined value has fallen by 98 percent.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/The-end-of-coal-is-near-6483929.php
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

TerryM

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 6002
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 893
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: Coal
« Reply #439 on: September 05, 2015, 08:18:57 PM »
The End of Coal is Near
Quote
We are witnessing the end of an era. Coal is fast becoming the telegraph to renewable energy’s Internet. American coal stocks are undergoing the most precipitous decline in the history of the energy industry. In 2011, four mining companies — Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, Alpha Natural Resources and Cloud Peak Energy — supplied most of the nation’s coal and together were worth nearly $40 billion.  In four years, their combined value has fallen by 98 percent.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/The-end-of-coal-is-near-6483929.php


The economic debacle is fun to watch (especially as we enter an election cycle), but does anyone know the tonnage figures?


Terry

Csnavywx

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 572
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 82
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: Coal
« Reply #440 on: September 05, 2015, 08:23:36 PM »
The excessive extrapolation and mis-analyzation by some of these articles is rather worrying. Coal is cheap because of a big oversupply. I guess it's easy to overlook the fact that there was a decade-long massive boom in consumption and those coal companies built out lots of infrastructure to cash in on it. Coal stocks crashed because the parent companies' balance sheets went hard into the red when the price crashed. The main driver for that was China's RE and Industrial bubble. They overbuilt. Plain and simple.

Coal prices crashing doesn't signal the "end of coal". Someone will buy and burn the extra if it's cheap enough. Stranded hardware and assets will be scooped up for bargain prices. It may take a couple of years, but it WILL happen without a rising carbon tax or fee. The goal should be to slap a fee on the carbon emissions from coal as to make it expensive enough to get phased out. Making it cheaper isn't going to do that. Eventually the overcapacity slack will be taken out by increased demand, something we DON'T want.

Csnavywx

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 572
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 82
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: Coal
« Reply #441 on: September 05, 2015, 08:35:10 PM »
THIS is what cheap prices get you:

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=22652


If carbon were being taxed at its true social cost, coal production targets of 1.5B tons by 2020 (85-90% increase over 2014) of coal in India wouldn't even be on the table.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #442 on: September 07, 2015, 09:08:24 PM »
Australia Mining body's pro-coal campaign backfires hilariously
http://mashable.com/2015/09/07/pro-coal-campaign-backfires/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #443 on: September 14, 2015, 03:06:32 AM »
President Obama has included billions of dollars in his 2016 budget to help ailing coal communities in Appalachia.  But Republicans insist more coal mining is the answer.

Coal’s Decline Is Choking Appalachia Towns
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-10/coal-s-decline-is-choking-appalachia-towns
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

sidd

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 6774
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1047
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Coal
« Reply #444 on: September 14, 2015, 06:55:19 AM »
Chris Hedges has coined the term "sacrifice zones of capitalism." It is appropriate. Our greed has beheaded their mountains, poisoned their streams, and denuded their soils. If we leave them suffer, what does that say of us ?

sidd

wili

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3342
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 602
  • Likes Given: 409
Re: Coal
« Reply #445 on: September 14, 2015, 03:46:47 PM »
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #446 on: September 17, 2015, 06:09:08 PM »
EIA:  Coal use in China is slowing
Quote
Economic deceleration, industry restructuring, and new energy and environmental policies have slowed the growth of coal consumption in China and are also driving more centralized and cleaner uses of coal. After nearly a decade of rapid growth, energy-based consumption of coal, which currently supplies two-thirds of China's overall energy use, grew only 1% to 2% in 2012 and 2013 and was essentially flat in 2014.

Total energy consumption in China has slowed as its economic growth has eased and as the composition of gross domestic product (GDP) has shifted. In 2013, the service sector share (47%) of GDP surpassed the industry sector share (44%) for the first time in Chinese history. The service sector share increased to 48% in 2014, already exceeding the government's 47% goal for 2015. Policies to accelerate the development of service industries are likely to sustain the transition away from industry, especially heavy manufacturing. As heavy manufacturing becomes less prominent, growth in coal consumption is expected to weaken.
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=22972
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Csnavywx

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 572
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 82
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: Coal
« Reply #447 on: September 18, 2015, 01:25:58 AM »
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=22952#

Systematic (again) under-reporting of coal usage in China. Revised figures now place actual production well above 4B tonnes/yr, once again demonstrating that taking newly printed numbers as gospel is unwise. Chinese coal statistics are more like a fine wine, they get better with age.

Quote
New preliminary data from the China Statistical Abstract 2015 (CSA2015) show an upward revision to China's historical coal consumption and production. Energy-content-based coal consumption from 2000 to 2013 is up to 14% higher than previously reported, while coal production is up to 7% higher. These revisions also affect China's total primary energy consumption and production, which are also higher than previously reported—up to 11% and 7% in some years, respectively, mainly because of the revisions to coal. In 2014, energy-content-based coal consumption was essentially flat, and production declined by 2.6%.

The issue here is that the latest GDP numbers are widely thought to be overstated. Indeed the industrial and RE sectors (where a lot of this coal is used towards) are likely in outright contraction (they were earlier in the year, at least). The latest export numbers were abysmal. So this posturing about China voluntarily lowering emissions through tough regulations is also likely wildly overblown. No doubt they're taking the air pollution issues fairly seriously, but the biggest response so far has to been to construct coal plants outside the cities (including coal-to-gas, which is in full swing) and run super-high voltage lines to the coasts. This isn't a long term strategy to tackle CO2 emissions.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #448 on: September 19, 2015, 03:23:06 AM »
This U.S. Lab Just Agreed To Help China Use Even More Renewable Energy
Quote
“The head of this enormous utility is thinking beyond the present,” Barnett said. “The air quality issues in China — and many other countries — have gotten more and more attention, and there is pressure on the utility to design a progression to a less polluting grid.”

That means decreasing China’s use of coal, and increasing its use of renewables. “They are planning massive deployments, especially of solar and wind,” Barnett said.

NREL’s agreement with State Grid focuses on three key areas, Barnett said: power system planning and operation support, energy systems integration, and market design. On the U.S. side, the research lab will have access to huge amounts of data as China changes how its electricity is produced, transmitted, and used.

China is the largest global emitter of greenhouse gases, and a large portion comes from burning coal for electricity. For reference, an 8 percent reduction in coal use over the first four months of the year resulted in a nearly 5 percent drop in the country’s overall carbon emissions — equal to the total amount emitted in Great Britain over the same time period.

The sheer scale of the electricity grid in China offers unique opportunities, for deployment of green technologies and for research. One Chinese solar company predicts that China will install 17.8 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity this year. The United States just passed the 20 GW milestone for all installations.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/18/3702583/nrel-and-state-grid-partner/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25763
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: Coal
« Reply #449 on: September 22, 2015, 07:53:58 PM »
European Coal Prices Slump to a Record Low
Quote
European coal for 2016 dropped below $50 a metric ton for the first time amid slumping demand from China, the biggest consumer.
...
Miners producing 80 percent of the best-quality U.S. coal are either for sale or in bankruptcy, George Dethlefsen, chief executive officer of Corsa Coal Corp., said on Sept. 18.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-22/coal-for-2016-declines-below-50-in-europe-as-glut-persists
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.