Modern Mining November 2022

COAL

available scientific evidence; and evaluated in a manner that differentiates between long term natural shifts in climate (e.g. earthquakes, volcanoes, shifts in the earth’s axis, etc.) and climate change due to human activity. Burning coal to generate power does, via emis sions of CO 2 , impact the environment negatively. It is also true that when coal interacts with air, in some cases it produces spontaneous combus tion. It is further true that when gaseous emissions interact with water in the atmosphere, acid rain is created. Surface and ground water can also be adversely affected by interaction with coal, when mined or when washed or used in a power station. Furthermore, there are always potential human costs associated with mining, particularly in underground mining operations, and these impact local communi ties and stakeholders. However, the adoption and increased use of mechanised mining and monitoring technologies in coal mining has largely mitigated these risks, and mining companies are increasingly adopting ‘Zero Harm’ policies as part of their ESG (environment, social & governance) profiles and practices. The question remains: If coal is so harmful, why use it? We use it because as an energy fuel source it is readily available and relatively cheap. It is also effec tive, particularly in creating baseload energy (energy that is always available within a 24-hour cycle and not dependent on environmental factors). Interestingly, from a geopolitical perspective, it is not coal but oil that has shaped political conflicts and political alignments in Europe, the US, and the Middle East. It is the Petro-dollar that dominates the energy debate, while coal prevails generating

c.60% of all global energy and c.83% of global elec trical energy according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Critiques of renewables Proponents of renewables claim that via the use of different, complementary technologies, particularly battery deployment for energy storage and the use of different combinations of battery metal chemistries, the costs of renewable per kw/h are consistently declining relative to other power sources or types. The critics of renewables argue that they cannot provide baseload energy; that they are grossly inef ficient and that they are more expensive across the value chain. How do we mitigate impacts from coal powered energy generation? Locally and globally the focus remains on net zero

Coal beneficiation ‘washing’ reduces emissions of ash and sulphur dioxide when the coal is burned.

Botswana has significant thermal coal resources.

November 2022  MODERN MINING  17