In this issue

Developments in CFBCClean Coal Technologies Conference 20133rd Workshop on Cofiring biomass with coal

The 58th meeting of the ExecutiveCommittee of the IEA Clean CoalCentre held in Windsor in April markedthe end of an era – Barbara McKee hasretired from the US Department ofEnergy and so will no longer representthe USA at ExCo meetings. Barbara hasserved on the ExCo since 1990 and hasattended a record 38 ExCo meetings.During this time she has been Chair andVice-Chair. Her support, wisdom andhumour will be greatly missed by all theExCo members and staff of the CCC.Warm tributes were paid to Barbara atthe ExCo dinner, and she was presentedwith a silver salver to commemorate herdistinguished record of service.Not only was it Barbara’s last ExCo,

but it was also Dr John Topper’s finalmeeting as Managing Director of theCCC, as Dr Andrew Minchenerbecomes General Manager of the Centreon 1 July. John will continue as CEO ofIEA EPL Ltd.After much discussion the following

topics were selected for the work

IEA CCC Executive Committeemeeting, April, Windsor, UK

programme of the Centre:� Increasing the flexibility of futurecoal-fired power plants

� The policy in connection with cleancoal technology R&D in the world

� Operating experience with ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant

� Recent development of oxy-

combustion technologies � Performance improvements fromadvanced sensors and smart controls

� HELE coal-fired power plant as aprecursor to CCS: country studies

� Climate implications of large-scalecoal-to-gas substitution.

The IEA Clean Coal CentreNewsletter is available free from> http://www.iea-coal.org

Follow us on twitter @IEACCC

IEA CCC publications policy

NewsletterNo 75 June 2013

Barbara McKee and Adolf Aumüller during the presentation at the ExCo Meeting

Our reports arenow availableas freedownloads forresidents ofmembercountries oremployees ofsponsoringorganisations.Six months

after publication reports are freelyavailable to all. Non-members canpurchase reports for £100 in the first sixmonths after publication. Everyonewishing to obtain a report must beregistered with the IEA Clean CoalCentre before proceeding with thedownload. Registrants will be notifiedby email when their registration isaccepted (normally within one workingday). Visit our bookshop to check the

list of members and to register for freedownloads: http://bookshop.iea-coal.org.uk/site/uk/clean-coal-technology-research-reports.

Coal mine site reclamation

Lesley Sloss

CCC/216 ISBN 978-92-9029-536-5

February 2013

copyright © IEA Clean Coal Centre

Abstract

Coal mine sites can have significant effects on local environments. In addition to the physicaldisruption of land forms and ecosystems, mining can also leave behind a legacy of secondarydetrimental effects due to leaching of acid and trace elements from discarded materials. This reportlooks at the remediation of both deep mine and opencast mine sites, covering reclamation methods,back-filling issues, drainage and restoration. Examples of national variations in the applicablelegislation and in the definition of rehabilitation are compared.

Ultimately, mine site rehabilitation should return sites to conditions where land forms, soils,hydrology, and flora and fauna are self-sustaining and compatible with surrounding land uses. Casestudies are given to show what can be achieved and how some landscapes can actually be improved asa result of mining activity.

Forthcoming coalconferences

Fluidised bed combustion workshopJohannesburg, South Africa, 16 July2013Mrs Robbie Cameron, RCA ConferenceOrganisers, PO Box 72147, Parkview2122, South Africa Tel: +27 11 487 2260 Fax: +27 86 653 7108 Email: events@rca.co.za Internet: www.fossilfuel.co.za

International conference on mercuryas a global pollutantEdinburgh, UK, 28 July - 02 August 2013Lesley Sloss, IEA Clean Coal Centre,Gemini House, 10-18 Putney Hill,London SW15 6AA, UK Email: info@mercury2013.com Internet: www.mercury2013.com

3rd oxyfuel combustion conferenceLeon, Spain, 09-13 September 2013 IEAGHG, Orchard Business Centre,Stoke Orchard, Cheltenham,Gloucestershire GL52 7RZ, UK Tel: +44 1242 680753 Fax: +44 1242 680758 Email: mail@ieaghg.org Internet:www.ieaghg.org/index.php?/20120814317/3rd-oxyfuel-combustion-conference.html

9th European coal conferenceGliwice, Poland, 10-14 September 2013 Łukasz Gawor, Silesian University ofTechnology, Faculty of Mining andGeology, Akademicka 2 Street, 44-100Gliwice, Poland Tel: +48 32 237 28 48 Fax: +48 32 237 22 90 Email: Lukasz.Gawor@polsl.pl Internet: www.ecc9.polsl.pl

2nd post combustion capture conferenceBergen, Norway, 17-20 September 2013 IEAGHG, Orchard Business Centre,Stoke Orchard, Cheltenham,Gloucestershire GL52 7RZ, UK Tel: +44 1242 680753 Fax: +44 1242 680758 Email: mail@ieaghg.org Internet:www.ieaghg.org/index.php?/2nd-post-combustion-capture-conference.html

An extended list of coal meetings andconferences is available on theIEA Clean Coal Centre website(www.iea-coal.org)

Recently publishedDevelopments in circulating fluidised

bed combustion, £100*

* These prices apply to purchasers innon-member countries of IEA CleanCoal Centre. Purchasers in membercountries and employees of sponsoringorganisations can download the reportfor free, when registered. Six monthsafter publication reports are freelyavailable to all.

IEA Clean Coal CentrePublications DepartmentGemini House10-18 Putney HillLondon SW15 6AA

Tel: +44 (0)20-8780 2111Fax: +44 (0)20-8780 1746e-mail: sales@iea-coal.orghttp://www.iea-coal.org

Reports can be downloaded from ourwebsite.

Available tomembers in draftUpgrading and efficiency improvement

in coal-fired power plantsUpgrading and efficiency improvement

of commercial IGCCCo-utilisation of renewable energy with

coalQuantifying emissions from spontaneous

combustion

In progressDevelopments in advanced ultra-

supercritical technologyProspects for coal in Sub-Saharan

AfricaSustainability issues in the use of

biomass for cofiringChallenges & opportunities for

gasification in developing countriesImpacts of climate change on power

generation from coalMid- to long-term outlook for the

utilisation of coal underenvironmental and resourcerestrictions

Management of waste products fromcoal combustion

Techno-economic analysis of PC versusCFB combustion technology

Advances in multi-pollutant emissionscontrol

Coal sampling and analysisRecent developments in modelling &

simulation of coal gasificationAn economic assessment and life cycle

analysis of drying technologies forlow rank coal

Blending of coals to meet power stationrequirements

Global outlook for coal derivedproducts

Coal prospects in TurkeyIncreasing the flexibility of future coal-

fired power plants

Soon to be publishedCoal and gas competition in global

markets

IEA CCC reports

Next webinar

At the next webinar, on Wednesday10 July at midday (UK time) Dr NigelDong will present on Coal and gascompetition in global markets, a reportco-authored by Herminé Nalbandian andNigel. Webinars are free to view and canbe watched at any time, but registrationis required - http://www.iea-coal.org/site/2010/news/webinars

Developments in CFBCCirculating fluidised bed combustion

(CFBC), as an alternative to pulverisedcoal combustion (PCC) for powergeneration, offers several benefits.CFBC boilers are extremely flexible,allowing a wide range of fuel qualitiesand sizes to be burnt. Emissions of SOxand NOx are significantly reducedwithout the addition of expensive fluegas emissions control systems. This isdue to the fact that the combustiontemperature in a CFBC boiler(800–900ºC) is significantly lower thanin a PCC boiler (1300–1700ºC), whichresults in considerably reduced NOxformation compared to PCC. Themajority of the sulphur in the coal iscaptured by limestone that is injectedinto the furnace; about 90–95% SO2reduction can be achieved. The lowercombustion temperature also limits ashfouling and corrosion of heat transfersurfaces allowing the CFBC to handlefuels that are difficult to burn in a PCCboiler. Even though the combustiontemperature of a CFBC boiler is low, thecirculation of hot particles providesefficient heat transfer to the furnacewalls and allows a longer residence timefor combustion and desulphurisationreaction. This results in goodcombustion efficiencies, comparable toPCC boilers.CFBC technology was developed to

burn low grade and/or difficult to burnfuels. Many existing CFBC units arefired with waste coal and serve to cleanup waste piles left over from miningactivities. CFBC technology has beenemployed for power generation for over25 years and the technology is stillevolving. Almost all of the existingCFBC power generating units are smallin size (<330 MWe compared to>1000 MWe for a PCC boiler), and usesubcritical steam conditions that makesCFBC systems less efficient thansupercritical/ultra-supercritical PCCplants. The poorer economy of scale andlower efficiency of the CFBC plantsresult in higher plant costs and haslimited its deployment.Over the last decade, significant

advances have been made in scaling-upCFBC units and in the adoption ofsupercritical (SC) steam cycles. Alstomand Foster Wheeler both adopted oncethrough boiler technology in their largeSC CFBC boiler design. In 2009, the

first supercritical and the largest hardcoal-fired 460 MWe CFBC powergenerating unit was successfullycommissioned in Lagisza, Poland. Morecoal-fired SC CFBC power plants withunit sizes of 550 and 600 MWe areunder construction or beingcommissioned in South Korea andChina. Today, SC CFBC boilers withcapacities up to 800 MWe arecommercially available. It is anticipatedthat future CFBC power plants willroutinely use advanced steamparameters. In addition to the increasein size and the use of advanced steamcycles, the engineering designs of theCFBC furnace, solid separation system,ash cooler, as well as the arrangementand designs of heat exchangers continueto be innovated and improved. Theoperation of the CFBC systems has alsobeen optimised. Many problemsencountered in the early years ofoperating CFBC plants have beenaddressed by innovative and betterdesigns leading to improvements inplant reliability and availability, andplant economics. The CFBC technologyis emerging as a real competitor to PCCsystem.Fundamental studies into various

aspects of oxyfuel combustion havebeen carried out in facilities fromlaboratory to pilot scale in researchcentres and universities around theworld. Oxyfuel combustion based CFBCpower plants concepts are being

airhigh temperature steamlow temperature steamwaterparticulatelime slurry

stack

solidfuel

limestone

secondaryair

economiser

airpre-heater

particulatecontroldevicecirculating

fluidised-bedboiler

ammoniainjection

cyclonecollector

feed watersteam

heated airto boiler

air

lime slurry

state-of-the artquality control system

polishing scrubberto by-product storage

air air

to by-product storage

bed ash

steam turbine generator

steam

condenser

reheatexchanger

A CFBC power generation plant

developed and validated. Currently,Foster Wheeler is the primary developerof oxy-CFB technology. It has beendeveloping an oxy-CFB combustionsystem called Flexi-Burn CFB. One ofthe current European R&D initiativesfocusing on CCS is the TechnologicalCentre for CO2 Capture and Transport,which is supported by the SpanishGovernment through the FundaciónCiudad de la Energía (CIUDEN). A30 MWth pilot-scale oxy-CFBdemonstration unit at CIUDEN wascommissioned in September 2011 and aseries of tests on coal have been carriedout. The test results from CIUDEN’sdemonstration unit will be used tovalidate the design of the OXYCFB300Compostilla Demonstration Project’s300 MWe SC oxy-CFB boiler. TheOXYCFB300 commercialdemonstration plant has alreadyattracted EU funding of A180 million forpre-feasibility studies, with the intentionof operating in 2015.

Developments in circulating fluidisedbed combustionQian ZhuCCC/219, ISBN 978-92-9029-539-6,April 2013£100 non-member countriesfree member countries

Attendance numbers were slightlydown for CCT2013, but this reflects thestate of the global economy rather thanthe quality of the event. CCT2013 easilymaintained the high standard set byprevious conferences in the series. About 140 delegates from 28

countries attended the Conference, set inthe ancient Greek city of Thessaloniki.It was a broad programme: there weresessions on carbon capture includingoxyfiring, pre-combustion and post-combustion carbon capture; combustion;gasification; cofiring; mercury;emissions and their control; low rankand low grade coals; coalcharacterisation; coal preparation andupgrading; underground coalgasification; and internationalperspectives. Presentations at CCT2013 reinforced

the view that there is a massive need forcoal-fired power generation, and majorefforts are under way to make it cleaner.The importance of RD&D washighlighted in Thessaloniki. There wasan emphasis on carbon capture, as atprevious CCT events, but at thisconference there were more papers onother aspects of coal use and variousways to reduce emissions which reflects

the slow take-up of CCS. Didier Houssin (IEA) gave the

opening plenary lecture and updated theaudience on the work of the IEA. As hepointed out, the demand for coal is stillincreasing and the share of non-fossilfuel generation has failed to keep pacewith that of fossil fuels. He stressed thatdemand for energy is growing and thatgreater efficiency is possible. Increasingthe global average efficiency of thecoal-fired fleet could have a substantialimpact on reducing emissions of CO2. Other plenary lectures were delivered

by Dr Ibrahim Gulyurtlu (LNEG,Portugal), Dr Peter Redlitch(Department of Primary Industries,Australia) and Dr Marion Wilde(European Commission, Belgium).According to Dr Redlitch there is430 Gt lignite in Victoria, and about2 Gt has been used in the last 90 years.The lignite is near the surface,comprises 60–70% water, only 2% ash,and has an average energy value of8 MJ/kg when wet. The lignite isgenerally used for electricity generationand is not exported. As a result of theEnergy Technology Innovation Strategysignificant sums of money have beengiven to pre-commercial technologies

such as the Otway Brown CoalInnovation Australia, CO2CRC OtwayBasin CCS pilot project and theCarbonNet Project which has identifieda good potential for carbon storage inVictoria. Currently the potential for alarge-scale multi-user CCS network inGippsland is being investigated. Dr Wilde described the EU Energy

Roadmap which shows that CCS isneeded for the long-term future of coalin the EU. The 2030 Framework forClimate and Energy Policy green paperpublished on 27 March 2013 has threeobjectives; sustainability, security ofsupply, and competitiveness. There is anew Energy Efficiency Directive and anEnergy Infrastructure Package. There were many papers on

developments in oxy-combustion, pre-and post-combustion capture of CO2.But there were also interesting papers ona wider range of topics such as bindingcoal and biomass to make briquettes forcofiring, energy issues for Mongolia, thestate of play in underground coalgasification, emissions control,efficiency improvements and how toreduce mercury emissions. In conclusion, as Dr Topper said in

his wrap-up speech, the ‘EU is ticklingCCS rather than tackling it’. Researchon CCS has made good progress and isnot holding back commercial use of thetechnologies – rather the finance andlegislation is not in place. So it is evenmore vital that a broad range of workcontinues to reduce emissions from coalfiring and to improve its efficiency.

Meliti power plantDelegates at CCT2013

More than 100 delegates from 18countries attended the 3rd IEA CCCWorkshop on Cofiring biomass withcoal, held in Groningen, Netherlands. Itwas organised with support fromEssent/RWE and held in the Euroborgfootball stadium, which made for aninteresting venue. A highlight of theevent was a trip to Groningen Sea Portsand a tour of the A3 billion Eemshavencoal-fired power plant, underconstruction. Although originallydisappointed that we had to stay on thecoaches for the tour, the teeming rainmade it the best place to be!There was a wide range of papers

covering the spectrum of issues thatarise when cofiring biomass in coal-fired plant, including sustainability, fuelproperties, plant operation andemissions. Sustainability is a particularthorny issue. Both environmentalists andthe energy industry agree that bioenergyis desirable. But environmentalists tendto think that small amounts should beused locally in CHP plant whereasindustry considers that large quantitiescan be transported abroad for powergeneration. On sustainability we heardthree papers. The first by EvelyneThiffault was delivered by MartinJunginger. He described the situation inCanada where Canadian exports ofbiomass to Europe are increasingdramatically. The Canadians have atriple safeguard for ensuringsustainability. He suggested that the EUsustainability requirements to protectbiodiversity, carbon stocks, soil, waterand air quality can be met by the forestmanagement practices in Canada butthere is a need for clear, operationallyapplicable definition of land use. In hisown paper he gave a detailed analysis ofCO2 uptake in terms of carbon debt andparity points. He described differentrepayment times for different scenarios.He suggested that cofiring largeamounts of biomass in efficient coalplant can make sense from a GHGperspective.André Faaij spoke with great

conviction on different CO2 emissionscenarios and believes the only way toprevent temperatures rising by more

IEA CCC 3rd Workshop on Cofiringbiomass with coal, 20-21 June

than 2°C by 2050 is to use all optionsespecially CCS. Bio-CCS technologiesresulting in negative CO2 emissions willalso be needed. Large quantities of biomass fuel will

need to be transported for increasedcofiring and Hugo du Mez described thelogistics of it. We tend to hear moreabout sustainability/environmental orplant issues so this was a useful paper.He suggested that a third of the finalcosts in a biomass fuel supply chainrelate to the logistics of transporting it.There were several presentations on

the operational issues arising fromcofiring biomass. Jan Middelkamp’soverview showed how cofiring affectsthe operation of a coal-fired plant andhe also briefly covered the economics.There are bottlenecks depending on thefuel and the boiler but no majoroperational show-stoppers. The highfuel price of biomass means that theprocess requires financial subsidy. Heshowed how cofiring or full-scaleconversion can meet renewable targetsat relatively low cost compared to otherrenewable technologies.On storage and milling, Orla

Williams described rig studiesinvestigating on the factors affectingmilling and how storage affects milling. Fire safety at biomass cofiring plant

have been very much in people’s mindsfollowing the fires at Tilbury, Avedore,Amergas and Rodenhuize. DavidDyson’s (Tilbury) talk on the criticalsafety issues regarding storage wasparticularly informative. He describedwhat caused the fire at Tilbury inFebruary 2012 and the remedialmeasures taken subsequently. He alsogave details of the Tilbury conversionand operational experience. It wasrelatively straightforward as far as theboiler and back-end modifications go, toconvert a fairly old plant (1967) to fullyfire wood pellets. Other than the storageproblem, the plant has operatedsatisfactorily. Wood pellets tend to dominate papers

on cofiring and it was refreshing toconsider different fuels such as ricestraw in Marcelo Bzuneck’s presentationfrom Brazil. The plant obtains a high

(20%th) proportion of its fuel from thewaste rice straw from local farms. Thehigh chlorine levels in the straw do notaffect the plant as the coal contains highash levels.Peter Beck discussed Cl-induced

corrosion of alloy 15Mo3 from a wood-fired boiler. Tobias Schwaemmleconsidered FGD/Hg removal in a paperon how cofiring can affectdesulphurisation and Hg removal inESP/FGD systems. Christoph Heinischhas looked at how alkali metalconstituents of biomass ash can poisonSCR catalysts. He described work todevelop poison resistant catalysts.We heard one modelling paper by

Haining Gao on CFD modelling ofcofiring 20% wood chips in a 150 MWtangential boiler. The model predictssignificant increase in unburnt carbonmainly from biomass related to biomassparticle size. The model predictslowering biomass injection level shouldincrease biomass burnout.Salome Farrow spoke on a novel rig

study of the catalytic effect of metalcomponents in biomass increasingvolatile yield and improvement in charburnout especially when cofiring underoxyfuel conditions .We had several papers on

torrefaction. Leilani Darvell looked ateffect of torrefaction on nitrogenpartitioning, evolution of nitrogen fromchar combustion, char combustionkinetics and reactivity. Mariusz Cieplikinvestigated the use of torrified woodpellets in an entrained-flow gasifier andfound significant advantages. PhillipDanz presented the results of hisinvestigation on grindability of torrifiedmaterial. Javier Gil spoke on thetorrefaction of straw. It was interestingto hear about a non-woody fuel. Hiswork showed that it was possible tosuccessfully torrefy straw. MarcelCremers gave a very useful presentationspoke on the status and prospects fortorrefaction. He discussed the possiblecompetitive advantage of torrefiedpellets. He considered the transitionfrom demonstration units to commercialplant. Michael Wild presented the

continued on next page

News from the IEA Greenhouse Gas Programme

IEAGHG Publishes Key Messagesfor Stakeholders StudyCO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) is

becoming more visible to the generalpublic and an increasing number ofstakeholders are taking an interest as thetechnology progresses from pilot scalethrough to demonstration andcommercial scale initiatives. Thegrowing visibility of CCS and theincreased focus of interested partiesmean that it is important to have arepository of accessible information forstakeholders so that they can learn about

the subject and its intricacies withouthaving to study in-depth technicalreports and scientific papers from avariety of sources. IEAGHG recently published a report

that addresses this gap. It uses itsextensive range of technical studies tocreate a set of papers which address keyconcerns of aspects of the CCS chain,and provide a thorough grounding in thevarious technologies. The main deliverables from the study

are a series of Briefing Notes whichcover the following key topics:� What is CO2?� ‘Setting the Scene for CCS: HumanCaused Climate Change.

� A Brief History of CCS Developmentand its Current Status.

� From Sources to Stores; MatchingSources of CO2 with PotentialStorage Sites.

� How is CO2 Captured?� The Costs of CCS.� What Infrastructure is Needed for theTransport of CO2?

� Carbon Dioxide Naturally OccurringUnderground.

� Storage and Site Integrity.� Impacts of Leakage Onshore.� Impacts of Leakage Offshore.� Monitoring: Safe Storage of CO2’� Legal Issues of CCS.� What do the public think about CCS?The briefing notes are available to

download from the IEAGHG websitehttp://www.ieaghg.org.

Kyle Nicol, a technical author at theIEA CCC, has just completed anambitious >1150 mile cycle ride fromMilan to Bilbao (MilBao) with fivefriends. Their route through thePyrenees was the equivalent of cyclingup Everest twice. It took 13 solid daysof riding laden with all the necessaryequipment such as tents, tools, sleeping

bags and clothes. Therewere no rest days and if theschedule slipped theywould have missed theferry home.Kyle trained for the

event for four months, andthe trip went according toplan. The weather wasamazing for the first elevendays with a peaktemperature of 36°C andthe last three days sawtorrential rain with

maximum temperatures of 15°C, whichwas relatively refreshing.They raised a total of almost £2000

for Practical Action, a developmentcharity which focuses on appropriatetechnologies in energy, food, water,sanitation and shelter. Staff at the IEAClean Coal Centre contributed a total of£243.75!

Sponsored Cycle Ride – MilBaobusiness case for torrefaction. He gaveessential data on costs and a list ofsuccessful companies.There was one paper on indirect

cofiring. Bram van der Drift describedsecond generation gasification and itsadvantages – N2 free syngas without anASU and complete carbon conversionand the benefits of second generationgasification for indirect cofiring.Overall we have seen the trends

emerging in cofiring in the West. Adecade ago people were considering afew percent biomass in coal-fired plant.Then it increased to tens of percent andnow in Denmark and UK the regime ofpublic subsidy is encouraging fullconversion. In the Netherlands, whichhas for decades the greatest experienceof biomass cofiring, the reduction of thesubsidy may lead to the reduction ofcofiring activities. Cofiring for thedisposal of agricultural residues ispracticed in the Far East, Japan andBrazil. The fuel of choice in the West iswood pellets and there is invariablygoing to be a war of attrition with theenvironment lobby on the issue ofsustainability. The future of torrefactionis uncertain. No one will build afull-scale commercial plant until theyreceive firm contracts from a utility butthe utility will not award one until theplant is built and running successfully.

continued from previous page

The IEA CleanCoal Centre wasestablished in1975 under theauspices of the

International Energy Agency (IEA). Itsaim is to provide an impartial andobjective information and assessmentservice on all aspects of coal-relatedtechnologies and economics.

IEA Clean Coal Centre is acollaborative project established in1975 involving member countries of theInternational Energy Agency (IEA). Theservice is governed by representativesof member countries (Australia,Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy,

Japan, Poland, South Africa, theRepublic of Korea, the UK and theUSA), the European Commission, andindustrial sponsors (Anglo American,South Africa; Banpu, Thailand; BeijingResearch Institute of Coal Chemistry,China; BHEL, India; Coal ChemistryCoal Association NZ; Danish PowerGroup; EPPEI, China; Eletrobrás,Brazil; SUEK, Russia; Xstrata,Switzerland).

The IEA Clean Coal Centreprogramme of work contains studies ofconsiderable significance for allcountries involved in the use or supplyof coal.

Key contacts

Managing Director: John TopperProgramme manager: Geoff MorrisonCommunications manager: Debo AdamsCompany Secretary: Robert Davidson

Gemini House10-18 Putney HillLondon SW15 6AAUnited Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0)20-8780 2111Fax: +44 (0)20-8780 1746Email: mail@iea-coal.orgInternet: http://www.iea-coal.org

The 3rd IEA Clean Coal CentreNetwork Workshop on UndergroundCoal Gasification will take place on 7-8November 2013 in Brisbane, Australia.Previous workshops in the series

have been held in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica (2011) and Banff, Canada(2012). The 3rd workshop will cover allthe topical issues around underground

coal gasification including steps towardscommercialisation, policy andregulation, and technical issues. There will be two days of

presentations at the Stamford PlazaHotel, Brisbane, followed by a technicalsite visit to Linc Energy’s Chinchillaand Carbon Energy’s Bloodwood Creekoperations. The registration fee for the

two days is €300 which includesrefreshments, lunches and the workshopdinner kindly sponsored by Linc Energy.The registration fee will increase to€350 on 7 October 2013. The technicalsite visit is limited to 50 participants atan additional cost of €80 and will takeplace on 9 November. Visit the websitehttp://ucg3.coalconferences.org/

Dr Topper steps down as Managing Director

From 1 July, after exactly 12 years inthe role of Managing Director of theIEA Clean Coal Centre John Topper isreducing his employment to half-time.He remains as CEO of the OperatingAgencies for IEA CCC and IEAGHG.This will continue until at least the endof March 2014.In the next few months John has

visits scheduled to Brazil, Thailand,New Zealand, Australia and India aspart of his work maintaining thevisibility and relevance of the Centre.Dr Topper has been an inspiring,

energetic and wise manager of theCentre. The CCC has flourished under

his leadership and the membership hasmore than doubled. We are delightedthat he is continuing as CEO.Dr Andrew Minchener OBE is the

new General Manager of the IEA CCCand we welcome his appointment.Andrew has written numerous reportsfor the Centre and has over 35 yearsexperience of fossil fuel andbiomass/waste utilisation systemsdevelopment, policy/institutional/regulatory analysis, techno/socio-economic analysis, training/capacitybuilding, technology transfer andinternational business development.