A new Australia-US alliance of research, government and industry leaders is tackling the future of clean coal at a conference hosted by UQ.
Queensland Minister for Mines and Energy, Geoff Wilson, opened Clean Coal Technologies: Queensland and Wyoming - the case for cooperation, at UQ’s Customs House on Thursday, April 10.
The two-day conference includes speakers from UQ, University of Wyoming (UW), the governments of Queensland and Wyoming, and industry with interests in both states. The Wyoming delegation is led by Mr Bob Jensen, CEO, Wyoming Business Council, who represents the Governor of Wyoming.
Mr Wilson said Queensland yields most of the coal in the world’s largest coal exporting nation, and Wyoming is the biggest source in the world’s second-biggest coal producing nation.
“By combining our intellectual and policy firepower we will resolve outstanding research and development challenges and improve the prospects of worldwide take-up of clean coal technologies.
“Coal is the world’s most popular fuel for electricity and its use is projected to grow by 74 percent between 2004 and 2030, so this alliance is vital,” Mr Wilson said.
UQ Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Greenfield, said the conference originated in links between UQ and UW, which both conduct intensive research into clean coal.
“Carbon dioxide capture and storage, coal gasification, coal bed methane recovery and synthetic fuels will be the main conference topics,” Professor Greenfield said.
Speakers include:
• Dr Jon Davis, Chief Energy Technologist, Rio Tinto - A coal industry perspective
• Adjunct Professor Michael Blinderman, Director, Operations, Ergo Exergy Technologies and Dr Len Walker, Managing Director, Cougar Energy - Underground coal gasification in Queensland and Wyoming
• Dr Mark Northam, Director, School of Energy Resources, UW - Wyoming’s energy future
• Professor Victor Rudolph, Division of Chemical Engineering, UQ - Clean coal research at UQ
• Professor Robert Ettema, Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science, UW - Energy,water and environment
• Mr Bob Kelly, Executive Chairman, DKRW Advanced Fuels - Coal liquids in America’s energy future
• Dr Cliff Mallett, Executive General Manager, Carbon Energy Pty Ltd and Mr Rusty Mark, Business Development Manager, Carbon Energy – Wyoming underground coal gasification trials
• Mr Howard Morrison, Manager, Emerging Technologies, Stanwell Corp – Zerogen clean coal power
• Dr Chris Spero, Callide Oxyfuel Project Director, CS Energy – Oxyfuel technology in Australia
• Dr Kelly Thambimuthu, CEO, Centre for Low Emission Technology – R&D in coal gasification
• Dr John Wright, Director, CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship Program – Clean coal R & D in Australia
• Mr Peter Cook, CEO, CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies – Carbon capture and storage
• Professor Brian Towler, CEAS Fellow of Hydrocarbon Energy Resources, UW – UW coal gasification research
• Associate Professor David M Bagley, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, UW – Sustainable methane and water production from Wyoming coal beds
The conference is sponsored by UW, Rio Tinto, Centre for Low Emission Technology and UQ.
Contacts:
Conference host committee chair: Dr Alex Klimenko – 07 33653670 / 0404651988; a.klimenko@uq.edu.au
Media: Fiona Kennedy – 07 3365 6060 / 0413 380 012
