https://agmetalminer.com/2019/08/26/doubts-remain-over-economic-viability-of-carbon-capture-tech-for-coal-fired-power/
[Apparently not intended as a humour item. Yet, one has to laugh at the
idea that making coal-fired generation more expensive and less efficient
will somehow make it better able to compete with photovoltaics, wind
turbines, hydro power and pumped/battery storage, each of which is now
lower cost to implement than coal. In some cases, less expensive than
continuing to run existing coal plants, even as the coal is subsidized.
File this one under more fossil-fuel-funded disinformation.
links and images in online article]
Doubts Remain Over Economic Viability of Carbon Capture Tech for
Coal-Fired Power
by Stuart Burns on August 26, 2019
A recent article in the Financial Times lays out both sides of the
argument. On the one hand, there is the one put forward by the coal
lobby, broadly drawing on the work of coal miners in the form of Coal21,
an industry body in Australia backed by 26 mining groups (including BHP,
Anglo American and Glencore). On the other hand, there is a more
disparate group of academics, research bodies and NGOs who rubbish the
miners’ position as untenable.
Coal21, however, is pouring a considerable amount of money into
research, lobbying and, most controversially, marketing in an effort to
influence the debate in its favor.
The industry club has invested $4 million in advertising to promote the
prospects for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a solution to
coal’s carbon emissions. That comes in addition to some $400 million BHP
has pledged over five years to reduce its emissions and those of its
customers.
Meanwhile, Glencore, the world’s largest coal exporter, is building a
pilot plant to capture and store carbon emissions from a nearby
coal-fired power station in the Surat basin in Australia, funded in part
by Coal21. The plan is to capture some 200,000 tons a year of carbon,
but commercial projects in Canada and the U.S. are said to be running at
50% efficiency, at best (in one case, little more than 5%). Glencore
will need new technology if it hopes to reach the 90% efficiency CCS
plants are headlined to achieve.
Even then, grave doubts remain as to their economic viability for
coal-fired power generation.
CRU research is cited by the FT estimates the technology is only viable
if the carbon dioxide (CO2) can be sold to other industries as a
commercial source of CO2. Generally, it is either simply stored
underground or used to boost oil field production by pumping sequestered
CO2 back into oil reservoirs.
Without the value generated by selling CO2 to other industries, the cost
of the technology needs to fall by 50% to make pure CO2 storage
economical, the Financial Times reports. Cynics suggest miners’ focus on
CCS as a solution has more to do with countering what they see as an
increasingly negative view of coal use as the consequences of rising CO2
levels is more widely accepted.
Coal miners may be facing a losing battle, regardless of public perceptions.
The article reports that in many parts of the world, solar, wind and
battery storage produces electricity at lower cost than coal, not to
mention the advantages of lower CO2 producing natural gas and the
latter’s greater flexibility to provide swing production to balance
renewables’ lower predictability.
Although huge sums have been poured into CCS research and multiple pilot
plants have been set up around the world, the technology is still less
efficient than necessary and more expensive to operate than required if
it is to be economical (certainly for coal-fired power generation).
But there are other industries where large quantities of CO2 are
generated. The arguments for CCS may be on a firmer footing for
industries like cement, steel, and oil and gas.
If the technology can be further refined to reduce emission from these
industries, that would be a huge gain — but for coal-fired power
stations, CCS looks like a lost cause.
===================================================================
[For another view on the current state of coal's future (demise) even
without the added cost of CCS, see below. When you can't pony up the
money to free up a $1,000,000 payout (not counting the actual train),
you have real financial issues.
links and images in online article]
https://time.com/5648087/kentucky-coal-miners-train-protest-wages/
Blocking Coal Train Railroad Tracks Over Wage Complaints, a Protest by
Kentucky Miners Is Now Entering Its Third Week
By Josiah Bates
August 12, 2019
Coal miners in Kentucky continue to protest their former employer by
blocking a railroad track that carries coal trains, demanding back pay
after being laid off last month.
The protest, which started on July 29 in Cumberland, Kentucky, is in
response to workers who were laid off by their former employer,
Blackjewel LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1. As well
as “operational issues” in its mines, the company cited “a combination
of declining commodity prices, reduced domestic demand for thermal and
metallurgical coal, and increased oversight and costs associated with
regulatory compliance” as factors leading to it going bankrupt in court
filings.
“The entire U.S. mining complex has been impacted by these events. A
growing number of peers have filed for bankruptcy over the course of the
past 5+ years. The entire industry either has gone through, or is
currently going through, a period of financial distress and
reorganization,” the document continued.
The protest started with around 20 miners, posted on the track for
nearly 50 hours straight — often by themselves, Jeff Willig, one of the
workers who started the protest, tells TIME. Now it’s grown with the
miners working in shifts of around 8-12 hours to ensure continuous
coverage on the track. Members of the local community have shown their
support, setting up an outdoor kitchen, providing first aid kits and
bringing water and ice for the protesters. State Rep. Adam Bowling,
whose district includes parts of Harlan County, has also joined the
protests, the Associated Press reports.
“We are not stopping until we get paid,” Willig says. “There is just
tremendous support for all of us. We’ve had other blue collar workers
tell us that they ‘need to do what the coal workers are doing.'”
Cumberland mayor Charles Raleigh says the town is united in support the
miners and their protest.
“I fully stand behind them. There’s been nothing but support for what
they’re doing,” Mayor Raleigh tells TIME. “We are hoping this brings
much needed change to the issues that lead to this happening.”
“I fully understand the number of coal companies that continue to
struggle in the aftermath of the War on Coal, but undercutting employees
who invested their time and talents to mine one of our greatest natural
resources, is a shameful way to conduct business,” said Rep. Hal Rogers,
whose congressional district covers Harlan County in a statement. “Our
coal miners deserve better and I will continue fighting for them.”
Blackjewel, which was founded in 2017, was one of the largest coal
mining companies in the country. Its bankruptcy filing also affected
employees in Wyoming, Virginia and West Virginia; in total about 1700
miners have been affected. According to the AP, Blackjewel is selling
its assets to cover nearly $400 million in debts.
The protest has kept a Blackjewel train from carrying $1 million worth
of coal from one of their former mines in Harlan County. Via the AP, the
rail company responsible for transporting the shipment has said it “is
monitoring the situation and hopes it is resolved quickly.”
“We get our money, this load of coal that’s on this train can go by. But
until then, there’ll be no trains coming in, there’ll be no trains going
out,” coal miner Shane Smith told WYMT.
The last paycheck the miners received was on June 28. But, according to
Joe Childers, an attorney for the miners, the checks bounced. “There was
about three weeks and one day they worked that they never got paid for,”
Childers tells TIME.
The coal miners have filed a class action lawsuit for back pay in
federal bankruptcy court. The suit also alleges the misappropriation of
funds intended for the miners’ 401k accounts. Many Kentucky miners also
traveled to a bankruptcy court hearing in West Virginia last week to
continue their protests. The lawsuit filed is still pending in federal
court. “We are in the process of figuring out how we can collect more
money for the miners through this lawsuit,” Childers says.
Blackjewel did not respond to multiple requests for comment from TIME,
though the company’s owner, coal tycoon Jeffrey A. Hoops, confirmed the
authenticity of a letter he shared with his workers after the bankruptcy
filing to WYMT. “I accept responsibility for being unable to lead this
company through these difficult times,” the letter read. “Know in my
heart how hard I fought for each of you and this company, and to have
people threaten me and say I took money out of this company for other
projects hurts more than words can express as it has been just the
opposite.”
Shortly after Blackjewel’s bankruptcy filing, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin
has confirmed the state’s Labor Department has opened an investigation.
“We will use every available tool within Kentucky’s statutory authority
to help our hardworking miners and their families receive financial
restitution,” Bevin said in a statement released to the media. “I am
confident that the Labor Cabinet will undertake a thorough investigation
and determine the appropriate best path forward.”
In the same statement, the Labor Cabinet’s secretary added that, “if
necessary,” it would lead a prosecution based on the miners’ claims.
Following the bankruptcy filing, Blackjewel’s mines were put up for
auctions — mines in Kentucky were purchased last week by Kopper Glo, a
mining company based out of Tennessee. The company reportedly promised
to pay $450,000 and $550,00 to miners in Harlan and Letcher counties,
according to WYMT. Kopper Glo did not respond to requests for comment
from TIME but, per WYMT, the company hopes to reopen the mines and
rehire as many of the miners as it can.
“I’m told they really wanted our mines and we’re all hoping to hear
something from them this week,” Willing says.
Three other mines in Wyoming and West Virginia owned by Blackjewel have
been sold to Contura Energy, another company that had bid on
Blackjewel’s assets. (Contura had previously sold mines in Wyoming to
Blackjewel in 2017.) It’s unclear if these mines will reopen, or if
Contura will provide backpay to the miners who worked there. Contura
Energy could not be reached for comment.
On August 5, the former coal mining tycoon Richard Gilliam donated $1
million to coal workers impacted by the layoffs. His foundation, the
Richard and Leslie Gilliam Foundation, will provide immediate funds to
affected workers in Kentucky and Virginia.
--
Darryl McMahon
Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems)
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