Australian Coal Association
Encyclopedia
The Australian Coal Association (often abbreviated to ACA) is the major Australian coal mining industry lobby group. It represents the black coal producers of New South Wales
and Queensland
and consists of a number of relatively small coal mining companies or subsidiaries of larger corporations in those two states. Australia is the world's largest coal exporter, and black coal is Australia's largest commodity export, worth more than $A24billion in the financial year ending June 2008, and $46 billion, or nearly double this amount, for the corresponding calendar year ending December. Black coal provides around 57 per cent of Australia's grid-connected electricity (brown coal around 24%) and is vital for major industries such as steel making and cement manufacture.
emissions come from burning black and brown coal, primarily for the generation of electricity, but also for steel-making and cement manufacture. In 2003, the coal industry established the COAL21 initiative, bringing together the coal and electric power industries, unions, federal and state governments, and research organisations. Supported through a voluntary company levy, the $1 billion+ commitment will support research, development and demonstration of low-emissions coal technologies. Australia is at the forefront of the development of these technologies. To date, the COAL21 Fund has made commitments of more than $500 million to a number of active and in-development carbon capture and storage
research projects. However, critics of the ACA have argued that “no other economy is as dependent on coal exports as ours, so why would anyone else feel the same imperative to lead?”
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and consists of a number of relatively small coal mining companies or subsidiaries of larger corporations in those two states. Australia is the world's largest coal exporter, and black coal is Australia's largest commodity export, worth more than $A24billion in the financial year ending June 2008, and $46 billion, or nearly double this amount, for the corresponding calendar year ending December. Black coal provides around 57 per cent of Australia's grid-connected electricity (brown coal around 24%) and is vital for major industries such as steel making and cement manufacture.
Australian Coal Association and the environment
The Australian Coal Association acknowledges that 34 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gasGreenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions come from burning black and brown coal, primarily for the generation of electricity, but also for steel-making and cement manufacture. In 2003, the coal industry established the COAL21 initiative, bringing together the coal and electric power industries, unions, federal and state governments, and research organisations. Supported through a voluntary company levy, the $1 billion+ commitment will support research, development and demonstration of low-emissions coal technologies. Australia is at the forefront of the development of these technologies. To date, the COAL21 Fund has made commitments of more than $500 million to a number of active and in-development carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
research projects. However, critics of the ACA have argued that “no other economy is as dependent on coal exports as ours, so why would anyone else feel the same imperative to lead?”
External links
- Australian Coal Association
- NewGenCoal, an Australian Coal Association website showcasing low-emissions coal technologies
- Can geosequestration save the coal industry?