It is our intent to keep you and your colleagues abreast of pertinent developments within the coal industry on a frequent basis. 

Accordingly, Coal Forum Headlines is a compilation of daily articles and stories about coal from around the region and the world. Upon reviewing this news stream, if you have suggestions to improve it or make it more useful please let us know.  And lastly, please share this with your colleagues and if they have an interest simply have them visit here to receive future editions directly.

West Virginia diesel relief targets mining and coal-haulage costs
WV Office of the Governor Patrick Morrisey - WV.gov
Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a 60-day emergency and temporarily suspended penalties for highway use of red-dyed diesel. West Virginia Coal Association President Chris Hamilton said the relief will ease the fuel-cost pressure facing surface mines and coal haulers.

Kentucky regulators approve cooling tower for West Virginia’s Mitchell coal plant
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Kentucky regulators have approved Kentucky Power’s plan to build a cooling tower at the Mitchell coal-fired power plant in West Virginia. The investment supports continued operation of a facility serving customers in both states.

West Virginia PSC adopts scaled-back rules prioritizing coal-fired generation
Charleston Gazette
The West Virginia Public Service Commission approved revised rules addressing the use of the state’s coal-fired power plants. The October 16 order incorporates utility suggestions and scales back the requirements originally proposed.

Peabody explores pairing Wyoming coal mines with data-center power plants
Cowboy State Daily
Peabody Energy is exploring mine-mouth generation paired with data centers in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. Investor materials describe potential revenue from higher coal sales and project development, although the concept still requires substantial investment and coordination.

USTR proposes extending China-linked ship port-fee suspension to January
S&P Global
U.S. trade officials have proposed extending the suspension of port fees on China-linked vessels to January. The issue matters to coal exporters, whose shipping options include Chinese-built vessels.

MISO members debate federal emergency orders keeping coal plants open
RTO Insider
MISO stakeholders are challenging federal emergency orders that keep coal-fired plants operating. The debate includes coal-industry representatives and centers on the orders’ implications for the regional power market.

California advances proposed carbon-capture and storage rules
Carbon Herald
California has released preliminary rules covering carbon capture, storage and removal projects, including monitoring, permitting and financial responsibility. A public comment period is expected to begin October 30; the framework remains subject to revision.

JSW Steel warns of higher coking-coal costs as quarterly profit triples
Mining.com
India’s JSW Steel warned of a potential increase in coking-coal prices while reporting a more than threefold rise in second-quarter profit. The outlook highlights raw-material cost pressures for steelmakers and the metallurgical-coal market.

Chinese thermal-coal mines seek expansion as output recovery remains slow
Mysteel
Thermal-coal mines in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi have begun applying to expand production, according to Mysteel. The report says actual output recovery remains slow despite the expansion efforts.

RPMGlobal develops gas-drainage scheduling software with coal miners
Australian Resources & Investment
RPMGlobal has worked with major Australian underground coal miners to develop a gas-drainage scheduling solution. The collaboration focuses on planning an important part of underground coal-mine operations.

JFE and Mitsubishi companies start steel-gas carbon-recycling demonstration
jfe-steel.co.jp
JFE Steel, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Mitsubishi Chemical have started a demonstration at Japan’s Mizushima Complex. Steelmaking by-product gas is being converted into methanol and then propylene as the partners assess commercial viability.

Global underground carbon storage reaches record 43.6 million tonnes
EurekAlert!
A new London Register update reports a record 43.6 million tonnes of geological carbon-dioxide storage. The release tracks the growth of storage infrastructure supporting carbon-capture projects worldwide.