Records highlight Isa link with Port of Townsville

Mt Isa’s synergistic relationship with the Port of Townsville is underscored by three trade records broken in 2007-08.

They are among six individual import and four export trade records broken in the period, listed in the Port’s latest annual report.

In one record 582,378 tonnes of cement was imported from Gladstone. Used in stope filling and mine remediation, cement is distributed from Townsville by road and rail to the greater North Queensland area, including all points west to Mount Isa.

Sulphur, of which a record 124,398 tonnes was imported, is used at Incitec Pivot’s Phosphate Hill Mine south of Mt Isa. Bulk sulphur is containerised at the Port and railed to Phosphate Hill where it is converted to sulphuric acid for the production of DAP (diammonium phosphate) and MAP (monoammonium) high analysis fertilizer.

Record exports included 187,480 tonnes of lead ingots produced by Xstrata Mount Isa Mine and Lead Smelter. Lead is railed to the Port of Townsville for export to the UK.

The Port of Townsville is a Supporting Sponsor at the 3rd Annual Mining the Isa Conference at the Mount Isa Civic Centre on 17-18 November.

The conference will feature presentations from Mt Isa mining industry leaders. They include Joe Gutnick, CEO of Legend International Holdings, who will speak on the world’s new appetite for phosphate; Steve de Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer, Xstrata Copper who will give an update on operations; and Mark Lynch, Managing Director of Citgold Corporation, who will report on the Charters Towers goldfield development.

http://www.iir.com.au/isa

To arrange a media pass, request more information or arrange speaker interviews please contact:
Nigel Dique – Informa-IIR 02 9080 4108; 0423 024 819; nigel.dique@informa.com.au

Joe Gutnick to address Mining the Isa forum

Mining industry entrepreneur Joseph Gutnick will give the keynote address at the 3rdAnnual Mining the Isa Conference at the Mount Isa Civic Centre on 17-18 November.

Mr Gutnick, President and CEO of Legend International Holdings, will speak on the world’s new appetite for phosphate and its effect on the Mt Isa region.

Demand for phosphate, used primarily in agricultural fertilizers has escalated in recent months in response to world wide food shortages and higher prices.

Legend International Holdings recently entered into a long term agreement to supply phosphate from its Lady Annie project in Queensland to Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), India’s largest fertilizer enterprise, a cooperative with over 50 million farmers associated with it.

The conference program includes presentations from established mining companies in the Mount Isa region, junior companies, and infrastructure stakeholders including water, energy and transport companies.

Among them are Steve de Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer, Xstrata Copper who will give an update on operations and Mark Lynch, Managing Director of Citgold Corporation, who will report on the Charters Towers goldfield development.

Betty Kiernan, the state Member for Mount Isa and Bob Katter, the Federal Member for Kennedy, will also address the conference.

http://www.iir.com.au/isa

To arrange a media pass, request more information or arrange speaker interviews please contact:

Nigel Dique – Informa-IIR
02 9080 4108
0423 024 819
nigel.dique@informa.com.au

Expert optimistic on carbon capture

Carbon capture and storage has been demonstrated around the world for 10 years and can be ‘scaled up’ to meet Australia’s requirements, according to Frank van Schagen, Managing Director of Australian Black Coal Utilisation Research Ltd.

However, as a prerequisite, the technologies need to be improved and made more economic, large storage sites need to be identified and characterized, and transport corridors established, he says.

“Most importantly, we need the regulatory or legislative ‘wrapper’ to allow business to take up the opportunity.”

He says implementing the technology is costly, but “moving to an emissions trading system and putting a price on carbon provides some opportunity to offset that cost”.

Mr van Schagen is Day 2 Chairman of the Coal Tech 2008 conference in Brisbane on 29-30 September, when energy industry participants will gather to debate and respond to the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme green paper.

The green paper proposes a limited amount of direct assistance to existing coal-fired electricity generators, and points to the potential benefits from developing clean coal technology, particularly viable carbon capture and storage.

The work done by the CRC for Greenhouse Technologies who’ll be presenting at Coal Tech 2008 shows significant potential for storage, Mr van Schagen says.

Professor Victor Rudolph from the University of Queensland is to provide an update on current CO2 storage projects in Australia, while other speakers will go into detail on individual projects.

Among other speakers are Gordon Couch, from the International Energy Agency Clean Coal Centre, UK, who will provide an international update on coal to liquids and implications for transport fuels, and Barry Ford, CEO of Hybrid Energy, who will review the FuturGas project involving coal to liquids gasification and integrated electricity generation.

Much interest will centre on advances in coal gasification, coal-to-liquids, coal drying and other technologies, especially with predictions by Goldman Sachs that the year-end price for crude oil could reach $149 a barrel.

www.iir.com.au/coaltech/blog

Debate on coal use emissions reduction

The energy industry will get its first big chance to debate and respond to the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme green paper at the Coal Tech 2008 conference in Brisbane on 29-30 September.

The green paper proposes a limited amount of direct assistance to existing coal-fired electricity generators, and points to the potential benefits from developing clean coal technology, particularly viable carbon capture and storage.

At Coal Tech 2008, advances in carbon capture and storage, coal gasification, coal-to-liquids, coal drying and other technologies will be given a thorough airing.

With overseas and local electricity demand growing unabated coal fired power generation continues to be the preferred energy source in most countries into the foreseeable future. And with Goldman Sachs predicting $149 a barrel year-end price target for crude oil, coal gasification and coal-to-liquids technologies are taking the spotlight among viable alternative fuels.

Professor Victor Rudolph from the University of Queensland is to provide an update on current CO2 storage projects in Australia, while other speakers will go into detail on individual projects.

Among other speakers are Gordon Couch, from the International Energy Agency Clean Coal Centre, UK, who will provide an international update on coal to liquids and implications for transport fuels, and Barry Ford, CEO of Hybrid Energy, who will review the FuturGas project involving coal to liquids gasification and integrated electricity generation.

www.iir.com.au/coaltech

Expert optimistic on carbon capture

If you’re not able to view the video above, please visit www.iir.com.au/coaltech/vid.

Carbon capture and storage has been demonstrated around the world for 10 years and can be ‘scaled up’ to meet Australia’s requirements, according to Frank van Schagen, Managing Director of Australian Black Coal Utilisation Research Ltd.

However, as a prerequisite, the technologies need to be improved and made more economic, large storage sites need to be identified and characterized, and transport corridors established, he says.

“Most importantly, we need the regulatory or legislative ‘wrapper’ to allow business to take up the opportunity.”

He says implementing the technology is costly, but “moving to an emissions trading system and putting a price on carbon provides some opportunity to offset that cost”.

Mr van Schagen is Day 2 Chairman of the Coal Tech 2008 conference in Brisbane on 29-30 September, when energy industry participants will gather to debate and respond to the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme green paper.

The green paper proposes a limited amount of direct assistance to existing coal-fired electricity generators, and points to the potential benefits from developing clean coal technology, particularly viable carbon capture and storage.

The work done by the CRC for Greenhouse Technologies who’ll be presenting at Coal Tech 2008 shows significant potential for storage, Mr van Schagen says.

Professor Victor Rudolph from the University of Queensland is to provide an update on current CO2 storage projects in Australia, while other speakers will go into detail on individual projects.

Among other speakers are Gordon Couch, from the International Energy Agency Clean Coal Centre, UK, who will provide an international update on coal to liquids and implications for transport fuels, and Barry Ford, CEO of Hybrid Energy, who will review the FuturGas project involving coal to liquids gasification and integrated electricity generation.

Much interest will centre on advances in coal gasification, coal-to-liquids, coal drying and other technologies, especially with predictions by Goldman Sachs that the year-end price for crude oil could reach $149 a barrel. www.iir.com.au/coaltech

Nigel Dique
02 9080 4108
nigel.dique@iir.com.au