As their men fight on the front line against Russia many Ukrainian women are keeping the coal mines running. Amid acute wartime staff shortages and constant shelling by Putin's men Ukrainian women who were once not allowed to work in mines are now taking up the offer.

Russia-Ukraine war: As men fight, women keep Ukraine's coal mines going

A clash was witnessed between police and climate change activists in Germany. The protest staged by activists was over expansion of coal mines. Watch further to know more.

WION Climate Tracker: Scuffle breaks out between Police and activist over coal mines in Germany

The United Kingdom will lead the net-zero mission and that's what PM Rishi Sunak said at this year's COP27 summit but within a month of that comment his government has approved a new coal mine project, something that the country hasn't seen in the last three decades. Watch full video to know more.

UK government approves first coal mine in three decades

Afghan teenagers are being forced to work in dangerous coal mines amid falling household income in the country. Reports say there are at least 1 million child labourers in Afghanistan.

South Asia Diary: Afghan teens working in coal mines

The Chinese government has ordered the country's coal mines to "produce as much coal as possible" in a bid to mitigate the power crisis that has left millions of homes across the nation without electricity.

China orders coal mines to 'produce as much as possible'

Autonomous drones could be used to improve safety in Queensland's underground coal mines. The technology is being trialled in a simulated mine in the north-east of the state, in the town of Mackay.

Autonomous drones to improve safety in coal mines

Methane leaks from planned coal mines around the world could have a bigger climate impact than carbon emissions from U.S. coal plants, a research group said on Thursday, detailing what it said was an overlooked source of planet-warming emissions.

Despite efforts by governments to crack down on fossil fuels, nonprofit Global Energy Monitor said in a report there are more than 430 proposed coal mines in the world which are likely to emit large amounts of methane, the second biggest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide.

The countries with the highest amount respectively of potential methane emissions from planned coal mines are China, Australia, Russia, India, South Africa, the United States and Canada, it said.

"Coal mine methane has dodged scrutiny for years even though there`s clear evidence it poses a significant climate impact," said Ryan Driskell Tate, a Global Energy Monitor research analyst and the report`s author.

"If new coal mines proceed as planned, without mitigation measures in place, then a major source of greenhouse gas will go unrestrained."

Planned mines, some of which are in the late development stage, could leak methane at a rate equal to 1.14 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, the report said, more than the 952 million tonnes of carbon dioxide U.S. coal plants released in 2019.

Coal companies can capture methane and burn it in operations or sell it to industry, resulting in less of a climate impact than allowing it to leak.

The World Coal Association, in a response to a request for comment on the report, said its members are committed to playing a role in helping the countries achieve emissions reductions goals and that zero emissions coal is technically achievable.

Explosive leaks of methane at coal mines have been a safety risk since mining began. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated in 2019 that emissions from abandoned and operating coal mines account for 9% of global methane releases.

Methane leaks from planned coal mines around the world could have a bigger climate impact than carbon emissions from U.S. coal plants, a research group said on Thursday, detailing what it said was an overlooked source of planet-warming emissions.

Methane leaks from planned coal mines around the world could have a bigger climate impact than carbon emissions from U.S. coal plants, a research group said on Thursday, detailing what it said was an overlooked source of planet-warming emissions. Despite efforts by governments to crack down on fossil fuels, nonprofit Global Energy Monitor said in a report there are more than 430 proposed coal mines in the world which are likely to emit large amounts of methane, the second biggest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide. The countries with the highest amount respectively of potential methane emissions from planned coal mines are China, Australia, Russia, India, South Africa, the United States and Canada, it said. "Coal mine methane has dodged scrutiny for years even though there`s clear evidence it poses a significant climate impact," said Ryan Driskell Tate, a Global Energy Monitor research analyst and the report`s author. "If new coal mines proceed as planned, without mitigation measures in place, then a major source of greenhouse gas will go unrestrained." Planned mines, some of which are in the late development stage, could leak methane at a rate equal to 1.14 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, the report said, more than the 952 million tonnes of carbon dioxide U.S. coal plants released in 2019. Coal companies can capture methane and burn it in operations or sell it to industry, resulting in less of a climate impact than allowing it to leak. The World Coal Association, in a response to a request for comment on the report, said its members are committed to playing a role in helping the countries achieve emissions reductions goals and that zero emissions coal is technically achievable. Explosive leaks of methane at coal mines have been a safety risk since mining began. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated in 2019 that emissions from abandoned and operating coal mines account for 9% of global methane releases.

Methane from upcoming coal mines could impact climate more than US coal plants, report says

Stressing that India is aiming to be the world's biggest coal exporter and make itself self-reliant in the energy sector, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction process for commercial mining of 41 coal blocks on Thursday.

The Indian prime minister said that to make India self-reliant in the energy sector, a major step is being taken today.&nbsp;

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Everyone participating in this event from home and abroad are most welcome. Having such an event in this challenging time &amp; all of you joining it, is a big message in itself: Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href="https://t.co/vVEXrqL6WN">pic.twitter.com/vVEXrqL6WN</a>
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Addressing through video-conferencing, PM Modi also said that the coronavirus crisis has taught India to be self-reliant and the country would reduce its dependence on imports.

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The auction (of 41 coal mines for commercial mining) today is taking place at a time when business activity in India is normalizing rapidly. Consumption&amp;demand is rapidly approaching the pre-COVID level. In such a situation, there cannot be a better time for a new beginning: PM <a href="https://t.co/9kK9ZDg26f">pic.twitter.com/9kK9ZDg26f</a>
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He also said that investments worth Rs 20,000 crore will be made for the gasification of four coal projects to make it environment friendly.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/need-to-think-about-unlock-20-pm-modi-to-chief-ministers-306630">Need to think about Unlock 2.0: PM Modi to chief ministers</a>

"We have set a target to gasify around 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030," PM Modi said.&nbsp;

The prime minister also added that he is unlocking resources of the country for private players in the sector of commercial coal mining.&nbsp;

"India should be world's biggest coal exporter considering the size of its reserves," the Indian prime minister added.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Stressing that India is aiming to be the world's biggest coal exporter and make itself self-reliant in the energy sector, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction process for commercial mining of 41 coal blocks on Thursday.

Stressing that India is aiming to be the world's biggest coal exporter and make itself self-reliant in the energy sector, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction process for commercial mining of 41 coal blocks on Thursday. The Indian prime minister said that to make India self-reliant in the energy sector, a major step is being taken today. Everyone participating in this event from home and abroad are most welcome. Having such an event in this challenging time & all of you joining it, is a big message in itself: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/vVEXrqL6WN — ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2020 × Addressing through video-conferencing, PM Modi also said that the coronavirus crisis has taught India to be self-reliant and the country would reduce its dependence on imports. The auction (of 41 coal mines for commercial mining) today is taking place at a time when business activity in India is normalizing rapidly. Consumption&demand is rapidly approaching the pre-COVID level. In such a situation, there cannot be a better time for a new beginning: PM pic.twitter.com/9kK9ZDg26f — ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2020 × He also said that investments worth Rs 20,000 crore will be made for the gasification of four coal projects to make it environment friendly. Also read | Need to think about Unlock 2.0: PM Modi to chief ministers "We have set a target to gasify around 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030," PM Modi said. The prime minister also added that he is unlocking resources of the country for private players in the sector of commercial coal mining. "India should be world's biggest coal exporter considering the size of its reserves," the Indian prime minister added.

Major step to make India self-reliant in energy sector: PM Narendra Modi on launching auction of 41 coal mines

The Central Government on Monday decided to allow women to work in underground coal mines and also do night shifts in an open cast or over ground mines, in a bid to bring about greater gender equality and generate more employment opportunities for women.

The government in a notification said it had decided to exempt the women employed in any mine above and mine below ground from the provisions of section 46 of the Mines Act, 1952, which restricts the women from working in mines.

Following the request from women employees and mining companies, the ministry has also decided to extend the timing of women workers in coal mines initially and it would be extended in other such mining sectors on the basis of the initiative. However, the deployment of women has been subjected to certain rules, which includes providing adequate facilities and safety to them.

The labour ministry has ordered that the deployment of women should be in a group of not less than three in a shift.

In addition, the deployment of women shall be subject to the framing and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures on the basis of the guidelines issued in this regard by the Chief Inspector of Mines from time to time.

Earlier, the Mines Act had restricted the employment of women in underground mines, and also in opencast or above ground workings of the mine during night hours between 7 pm and 6 am.

The Central Government on Monday decided to allow women to work in underground coal mines and also do night shifts in an open cast or over ground mines, in a bid to bring about greater gender equality and generate more employment opportunities for women.

The Central Government on Monday decided to allow women to work in underground coal mines and also do night shifts in an open cast or over ground mines, in a bid to bring about greater gender equality and generate more employment opportunities for women. The government in a notification said it had decided to exempt the women employed in any mine above and mine below ground from the provisions of section 46 of the Mines Act, 1952, which restricts the women from working in mines. Following the request from women employees and mining companies, the ministry has also decided to extend the timing of women workers in coal mines initially and it would be extended in other such mining sectors on the basis of the initiative. However, the deployment of women has been subjected to certain rules, which includes providing adequate facilities and safety to them. The labour ministry has ordered that the deployment of women should be in a group of not less than three in a shift. In addition, the deployment of women shall be subject to the framing and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures on the basis of the guidelines issued in this regard by the Chief Inspector of Mines from time to time. Earlier, the Mines Act had restricted the employment of women in underground mines, and also in opencast or above ground workings of the mine during night hours between 7 pm and 6 am.

Now, women allowed to work in underground mines

Former refugees Massoud and Mahmud Hassani stunned the world three years ago with an invention like a dandelion puffball that sought to rid the world of landmines. 
 
Now the Afghan brothers are back with their latest creation: a low-cost drone to detect and destroy mines, which each year claim thousands of lives.&nbsp;Ridding the world of their childhood horror has become the life work of the Hassanis, who now live in the Netherlands. 
 
In 2013, they won worldwide acclaim for the &quot;mine kafon&quot;, a giant ball shaped like a dandelion seed head that rolls around with the wind, its plastic stalks tripping landmines in the process. 
 
Inspired by their childhood toys, the kafon, short for &quot;kafondan&quot; which in the Hassanis&#39; native Dari language means &quot;something that explodes&quot;, drew high praise from anti-landmine organisations. 
 
 
Flying blue octopus&nbsp; 
 
Now their latest mine-hunting device combines drone technology, 3D printing and robotics with a metal detector to find and ultimately destroy landmines.&nbsp;Hinged on six arms with rotors that creates lift, the 4.5 kilogram (10-pound) drone consists of a blue hard plastic casing that contains batteries, computer hardware and software and a global positioning system. 
 
A robotic arm slung underneath is fitted with pincers that can remotely be opened and closed. The pincers can carry a metal detector or a small explosive charge, which the brothers say can be used to destroy a landmine.&nbsp;The on-board GPS allows it to plot its course via computer. 
 
Massoud explains that the drone works in three stages: mapping, detecting and destroying. 
 
When deployed, a 3D mapping system scans the section that needs to be demined. Secondly, the mapped area is meticulously sweeped by the drones carrying a metal detector on a pre-programme path. 
 
&quot;This way the mine field in question can be scanned inch-by-inch,&quot; Massoud told AFP at his workshop in the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven. 
 
Finally, the plan is to destroy the mines by using the drone to place a small charge on every mine to detonate it.&nbsp;&quot;We believe this way mines can be cleared almost 20 times faster than what they are now,&quot; Massoud said. 
 
 
&#39;Time-consuming process&#39;&nbsp; 
 
So far the duo have built three working prototypes, and have carried out demonstrations before the Dutch military, who say they are willing to help with further testing. 
 
&quot;Clearing minefields is an incredibly time-consuming process,&quot; Major Fred de Vries of the Dutch army&#39;s explosives ordnance disposal unit told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;We see many possibilities to use drones&quot; to save time to map and detect landmines in a given area, De Vries said. 
 
The key phase will be to carry out field tests in Afghanistan, which the brothers hope to finance by crowd-funding.&nbsp;If all goes well, the pair believe the drone can be made for as little as 1,000 Euros ($1,100) each. 
 
Other opinions are guarded.&nbsp;One of them is the Halo Trust, the world&#39;s largest humanitarian mine-clearing organisation.&nbsp;It said despite having carried out some &quot;small-scale trials with aerial mapping drones&quot; it did not believe &quot;drones will contribute significantly to the future of mine clearance&quot;. 
 
Drones are of limited use in areas covered with vegetation and in poor weather conditions, the trust said.&nbsp;And even if the drone did find a landmine &quot;a trained human being will still be required to excavate and destroy it,&quot; the trust said in a statement. 
 
The brothers are using the Kickstarter online crowd funding platform in the hope of raising 90,000 Euros ($100,000) for the final tests.&nbsp;They want to take it to Afghanistan for testing within the next two months, the first time the brothers will be back in their native country since fleeing the Taliban-ruled Kabul in the late 1990&#39;s. 
 
Three years ago a plan to return to Afghanistan to test the original kafon failed.&nbsp;The &quot;puffball&quot; idea, while praised for its low technology and cheapness, meant the device was at the mercy of the winds and could not cover a minefield systematically to guarantee it was cleared, as humans would. 
 
&quot;The mine kafon invention did a lot to create awareness of landmines,&quot; Massoud Hassani said.&nbsp;&quot;We felt that it was now time to do something even more concrete to destroy landmines,&quot; he said. 
 
Massoud, 32, fled Afghanistan in 1998, followed two years later by Mahmud, 30. After arduous treks through Pakistan and Uzbekistan, the brothers finally made their way to the Netherlands and today hold Dutch citizenship.&nbsp;Landmines are scattered in 78 countries, and each year kill between 15,000 and 20,000 people and maim countless more, according to UN figures. 
 
Despite huge progress in mine-clearing, Afghanistan remains one of the most mined countries in the world.&nbsp;Since 1989, around 703,000 anti-personnel mines, 29,000 anti-tank mines and more than 18 million other pieces of unexploded ordnance have been collected, according to the UN Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMACA). 
 
There were at least 1,296 Afghan casualties in 2014 resulting from mines, victim-triggered improvised explosive devices and other ordnance left over from the Afghan war, the Geneva-based Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor research group said. 
 
&quot;Our whole life is dedicated to the fight against landmines. As children we saw our friends lose limbs and die,&quot; said Massoud.&nbsp;&quot;It will be great to go back to our country bearing this gift.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

'We believe this way mines can be cleared almost 20 times faster than what they are now', said creator Massoud Hassani

Former refugees Massoud and Mahmud Hassani stunned the world three years ago with an invention like a dandelion puffball that sought to rid the world of landmines. Now the Afghan brothers are back with their latest creation: a low-cost drone to detect and destroy mines, which each year claim thousands of lives. Ridding the world of their childhood horror has become the life work of the Hassanis, who now live in the Netherlands. In 2013, they won worldwide acclaim for the "mine kafon", a giant ball shaped like a dandelion seed head that rolls around with the wind, its plastic stalks tripping landmines in the process. Inspired by their childhood toys, the kafon, short for "kafondan" which in the Hassanis' native Dari language means "something that explodes", drew high praise from anti-landmine organisations. Flying blue octopus Now their latest mine-hunting device combines drone technology, 3D printing and robotics with a metal detector to find and ultimately destroy landmines. Hinged on six arms with rotors that creates lift, the 4.5 kilogram (10-pound) drone consists of a blue hard plastic casing that contains batteries, computer hardware and software and a global positioning system. A robotic arm slung underneath is fitted with pincers that can remotely be opened and closed. The pincers can carry a metal detector or a small explosive charge, which the brothers say can be used to destroy a landmine. The on-board GPS allows it to plot its course via computer. Massoud explains that the drone works in three stages: mapping, detecting and destroying. When deployed, a 3D mapping system scans the section that needs to be demined. Secondly, the mapped area is meticulously sweeped by the drones carrying a metal detector on a pre-programme path. "This way the mine field in question can be scanned inch-by-inch," Massoud told AFP at his workshop in the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven. Finally, the plan is to destroy the mines by using the drone to place a small charge on every mine to detonate it. "We believe this way mines can be cleared almost 20 times faster than what they are now," Massoud said. 'Time-consuming process' So far the duo have built three working prototypes, and have carried out demonstrations before the Dutch military, who say they are willing to help with further testing. "Clearing minefields is an incredibly time-consuming process," Major Fred de Vries of the Dutch army's explosives ordnance disposal unit told AFP. "We see many possibilities to use drones" to save time to map and detect landmines in a given area, De Vries said. The key phase will be to carry out field tests in Afghanistan, which the brothers hope to finance by crowd-funding. If all goes well, the pair believe the drone can be made for as little as 1,000 Euros ($1,100) each. Other opinions are guarded. One of them is the Halo Trust, the world's largest humanitarian mine-clearing organisation. It said despite having carried out some "small-scale trials with aerial mapping drones" it did not believe "drones will contribute significantly to the future of mine clearance". Drones are of limited use in areas covered with vegetation and in poor weather conditions, the trust said. And even if the drone did find a landmine "a trained human being will still be required to excavate and destroy it," the trust said in a statement. The brothers are using the Kickstarter online crowd funding platform in the hope of raising 90,000 Euros ($100,000) for the final tests. They want to take it to Afghanistan for testing within the next two months, the first time the brothers will be back in their native country since fleeing the Taliban-ruled Kabul in the late 1990's. Three years ago a plan to return to Afghanistan to test the original kafon failed. The "puffball" idea, while praised for its low technology and cheapness, meant the device was at the mercy of the winds and could not cover a minefield systematically to guarantee it was cleared, as humans would. "The mine kafon invention did a lot to create awareness of landmines," Massoud Hassani said. "We felt that it was now time to do something even more concrete to destroy landmines," he said. Massoud, 32, fled Afghanistan in 1998, followed two years later by Mahmud, 30. After arduous treks through Pakistan and Uzbekistan, the brothers finally made their way to the Netherlands and today hold Dutch citizenship. Landmines are scattered in 78 countries, and each year kill between 15,000 and 20,000 people and maim countless more, according to UN figures. Despite huge progress in mine-clearing, Afghanistan remains one of the most mined countries in the world. Since 1989, around 703,000 anti-personnel mines, 29,000 anti-tank mines and more than 18 million other pieces of unexploded ordnance have been collected, according to the UN Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMACA). There were at least 1,296 Afghan casualties in 2014 resulting from mines, victim-triggered improvised explosive devices and other ordnance left over from the Afghan war, the Geneva-based Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor research group said. "Our whole life is dedicated to the fight against landmines. As children we saw our friends lose limbs and die," said Massoud. "It will be great to go back to our country bearing this gift." (AFP)

Afghan brothers launch new mine-hunting drone

For many coal miners in Indonesia&#39;s resource-dependent economy, a surprise shift in India&#39;s coal industry from big importer to potential exporter could not have come at a worse time. 
 
Prices have slumped over the past five years and a slowing China is buying less. Now, Indonesia faces an Indian double whammy: not only is its main export market producing so much coal that it aims to wind down imports in two years, it&#39;s also set to start exporting for the first time to a market dominated by Indonesia. 
 
State-run Coal India is opening mines at the rate of one a month and expanding existing ones, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi fast-tracks environmental clearances to double output this decade and meet election promises to provide power to a population of 1.3 billion. 
 
That dash for production has left Coal India with a stockpile of more than 50 million tonnes of mined coal, but domestic demand is rising more slowly than anticipated, prompting it to start talks to export to neighbouring Bangladesh. 
 
Not so long ago, Indonesian coal executives brushed aside concerns about slowing sales to China, citing strong Indian demand - suggesting they have underestimated India&#39;s ability to quickly ramp up production. 
 
&quot;This is a threat to the Indonesian coal industry,&quot; said Supriatna Suhala, executive director of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (ICMA). &quot;In future, we may have to compete with India. They may become an exporter to Asia.&quot; 
 
&#39;Dire Trouble&#39; 
 
In Indonesia, the shift in Indian demand is most keenly felt among producers of low-quality coal in southern Sumatra, said Ben Lawson, chief operating officer of Sanaman Coal, which owns a small, unopened mine in the region. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s been a tonne of closures in South Sumatra and Jambi (provinces) because that was all geared towards the Indian market,&quot; he said, noting many mines producing nearby are in &quot;dire trouble&quot;. 
 
This could trigger more mine closures on top of thousands already shut across Indonesia due to weak demand and prices, piling the pressure on President Joko Widodo and an economy where coal mining accounts for around four per cent of GDP. 
 
Even larger firms such as PT Adaro Energy, Berau Coal Energy and PT Bukit Asam may have to cut jobs and output once long-term supply contracts to India expire, analysts say - though they are better placed as they have lower mining costs, investments in other businesses like power generation and are able to supply the higher grade, low-ash coal that India&#39;s coastal plants rely on. 
 
Price Pressure 
 
While Modi&#39;s manufacturing push could reboot Indian demand, current production rates and stock levels signal that India, which has the world&#39;s fourth-largest coal reserves, is likely to become an exporter of thermal coal for power generation. 
 
A switch by such a big buyer will keep the pressure on world thermal coal prices, which have picked up from decade lows in January but are still well below where they were five years ago. 
 
Anil Swarup, the top civil servant in India&#39;s coal ministry, acknowledged the country&#39;s low-quality coal could be a tough sell, particularly as higher grades are available at such low prices. Nevertheless, he said Coal India was in talks with Bangladesh over price and the quality of coal to be sold, and he hoped to &quot;see some action on the ground in three months&quot;. 
 
Electricity-starved Bangladesh buys only around three million tonnes of coal a year, but consultancy Wood Mackenzie predicts demand could jump to as much as 15 million tonnes by 2020 as planned power plants worth at least $8 billion are built there with help from India and China. 
 
Spoilt for Choice 
 
India&#39;s declining appetite for Indonesian coal is partly a result of low prices that have made higher calorific value coal available elsewhere more affordable. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s impacting all the major export markets because now the Indians are not at a loss for choice, and you can see that from month-to-month they just skip around from South Africa to Indonesia,&quot; said Lawson at Sanaman Coal. 
 
Imports by India&#39;s coastal power plants, which are designed to use only high-grade imported coal, rose around three per cent to 43.5 million tonnes in the year to end-March, according to mjunction, an online trading platform. 
 
Overall, India&#39;s January-May coal imports fell 5.4 per cent to 82.57 million tonnes, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Thomson Reuters. Though Indonesia remained the top supplier, its sales to India fell by a fifth to 36.72 million tonnes, while shipments from South Africa increased by more than a quarter to 16.58 million tonnes. 
 
Indonesia is now tapping other existing export markets, from South Korea and Taiwan to Japan, and may also target countries that don&#39;t have large coal resources, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam. 
 
It has also capped its production at 400 million tonnes and is fast-tracking power plant developments to use more domestic coal, said Suhala at the ICMA. 
 
&quot;Indian demand, the great saviour from falling China demand, has turned out to be largely fictional,&quot; said Hans Lukiman, a small-scale Indonesian coal miner. 
 
(Reuters)

Not only is India buying less Indonesian coal, it's producing so much that its exports are cutting into Indonesia's market

For many coal miners in Indonesia's resource-dependent economy, a surprise shift in India's coal industry from big importer to potential exporter could not have come at a worse time. Prices have slumped over the past five years and a slowing China is buying less. Now, Indonesia faces an Indian double whammy: not only is its main export market producing so much coal that it aims to wind down imports in two years, it's also set to start exporting for the first time to a market dominated by Indonesia. State-run Coal India is opening mines at the rate of one a month and expanding existing ones, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi fast-tracks environmental clearances to double output this decade and meet election promises to provide power to a population of 1.3 billion. That dash for production has left Coal India with a stockpile of more than 50 million tonnes of mined coal, but domestic demand is rising more slowly than anticipated, prompting it to start talks to export to neighbouring Bangladesh. Not so long ago, Indonesian coal executives brushed aside concerns about slowing sales to China, citing strong Indian demand - suggesting they have underestimated India's ability to quickly ramp up production. "This is a threat to the Indonesian coal industry," said Supriatna Suhala, executive director of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (ICMA). "In future, we may have to compete with India. They may become an exporter to Asia." 'Dire Trouble' In Indonesia, the shift in Indian demand is most keenly felt among producers of low-quality coal in southern Sumatra, said Ben Lawson, chief operating officer of Sanaman Coal, which owns a small, unopened mine in the region. "There's been a tonne of closures in South Sumatra and Jambi (provinces) because that was all geared towards the Indian market," he said, noting many mines producing nearby are in "dire trouble". This could trigger more mine closures on top of thousands already shut across Indonesia due to weak demand and prices, piling the pressure on President Joko Widodo and an economy where coal mining accounts for around four per cent of GDP. Even larger firms such as PT Adaro Energy, Berau Coal Energy and PT Bukit Asam may have to cut jobs and output once long-term supply contracts to India expire, analysts say - though they are better placed as they have lower mining costs, investments in other businesses like power generation and are able to supply the higher grade, low-ash coal that India's coastal plants rely on. Price Pressure While Modi's manufacturing push could reboot Indian demand, current production rates and stock levels signal that India, which has the world's fourth-largest coal reserves, is likely to become an exporter of thermal coal for power generation. A switch by such a big buyer will keep the pressure on world thermal coal prices, which have picked up from decade lows in January but are still well below where they were five years ago. Anil Swarup, the top civil servant in India's coal ministry, acknowledged the country's low-quality coal could be a tough sell, particularly as higher grades are available at such low prices. Nevertheless, he said Coal India was in talks with Bangladesh over price and the quality of coal to be sold, and he hoped to "see some action on the ground in three months". Electricity-starved Bangladesh buys only around three million tonnes of coal a year, but consultancy Wood Mackenzie predicts demand could jump to as much as 15 million tonnes by 2020 as planned power plants worth at least $8 billion are built there with help from India and China. Spoilt for Choice India's declining appetite for Indonesian coal is partly a result of low prices that have made higher calorific value coal available elsewhere more affordable. "It's impacting all the major export markets because now the Indians are not at a loss for choice, and you can see that from month-to-month they just skip around from South Africa to Indonesia," said Lawson at Sanaman Coal. Imports by India's coastal power plants, which are designed to use only high-grade imported coal, rose around three per cent to 43.5 million tonnes in the year to end-March, according to mjunction, an online trading platform. Overall, India's January-May coal imports fell 5.4 per cent to 82.57 million tonnes, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Thomson Reuters. Though Indonesia remained the top supplier, its sales to India fell by a fifth to 36.72 million tonnes, while shipments from South Africa increased by more than a quarter to 16.58 million tonnes. Indonesia is now tapping other existing export markets, from South Korea and Taiwan to Japan, and may also target countries that don't have large coal resources, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam. It has also capped its production at 400 million tonnes and is fast-tracking power plant developments to use more domestic coal, said Suhala at the ICMA. "Indian demand, the great saviour from falling China demand, has turned out to be largely fictional," said Hans Lukiman, a small-scale Indonesian coal miner. (Reuters)

India's coal shift a double whammy for Indonesian exporters

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