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Port and rail inefficiencies to cost SA R1bn a day

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Action is urgently needed as the collective cost of port and rail failures in SA over the past 18 months is R150bn

by SIYABONGA MTHEMBU AND LANCE PETERSEN – Business Day

It has been estimated that the collective cost of port and rail failures in SA over the past 18 months is R150bn. From another perspective, the collapse of Transnet is set to cost the country R1bn a day in economic output, the equivalent of 4.9% of our country’s annual GDP, or R353bn. Take a moment to let those numbers sink in…Full story

Evenly balanced’ risks means lower commodity prices, but robust volumes

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By Clyde Russell – Reuters

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Oct 3 (Reuters) – The heat is coming out of global commodity prices and the risks to the outlook are “evenly balanced”.

That’s the relatively downbeat assessment of the Australian government in its latest Resource and Energy Quarterly publication, released on Tuesday.

What the government forecaster in one of the world’s biggest exporters of resources is effectively saying is that while commodity volumes are holding up well, and expected to increase in coming years, the amount of money generated will slip…Full Story

EU countries consider scrapping part of energy reforms – document

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By Kate Abnett and Julia Payne – Reuters

BRUSSELS, Oct 2 (Reuters) – European Union countries are considering scrapping a central part of reforms to Europe’s electricity market, amid a deadlock between France and Germany over state aid for power plants, a document seen by Reuters showed.

The 27 EU countries are seeking a joint position on planned reforms to the EU’s power market, but countries including Germany and France have been at odds for months over whether the rules could give some countries a competitive edge over others…Full story

US thermal coal exports jump to 5-year highs on Asian demand: Maguire

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United States thermal coal exports hit their highest levels since 2018 during the first eight months of 2023, climbing 20% from the same period in 2022 thanks to strong demand from key consumers including China, India and South Korea.

Total U.S. exports of coal used for power generation hit 22.5 million tonnes through August, up from 18.3 million in the same period in 2022, according to ship tracking data from Kpler…Full Story

India, China grapple with hydropower shortage, fossil fuel use up in Asia

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Asia is currently experiencing its most significant hydropower crunch in decades, with China and India, the two countries that account for approximately three-quarters of Asia’s power generation, witnessing sharp declines. 

This situation has compelled power regulators to rely more heavily on fossil fuels amidst fluctuating electricity demand and unpredictable weather patterns…Full Story

Coal shortage now at alarming levels, say aluminium producers

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With no relief in sight despite coal stocks running critically low and production disruptions looming across the Indian aluminium sector, the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) has urged the union coal ministry for immediate resumption of adequate coal rakes for the highly power-intensive Aluminium industry.

In its representation to the Ministry, the AAI has lauded the combined efforts by the Ministry of Coal and Coal India Limited in reviving domestic coal production, which has helped ease the coal supply crisis for the Power Sector. The steps undertaken by the Ministry increased the overall daily rakes dispatched from 242 rakes/day in September 2021 to 289 rakes/day in December 2021…Full Story

Coal Shortage Crisis: 15 Of 135 Power Plants Have Zero Days Of Stock

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Concerns on coal have also come from political quarters, as Power Minister RK Singh describes the situation as "touch and go"

By - Mohammed Kudrati | Boom Live


India is running perilously low on coal for thermal power generation, shows data from the Central Electricity Authority. According to their daily release on coal stocks through the National Power Portal, 15 of India's 135 coal-fired thermal power plants have zero days worth of coal, which is as of September 30. 

On average, the data shows that there is only four days worth of coal stock, that is 8.082 million tons of coal. The data show that the daily requirement for coal across all categories of plants is 1.825 million tons. 104 power plants have critical or super critical supplies, which the data show is eight days or less worth of supplies...Full Story

China Energy Crunch Triggers Alarm, Pleas for More Coal

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By David Stanway | Reuters

As a severe power crunch roils China’s northeastern industrial heartland, senior officials face mounting pressure from alarmed citizens to ramp up coal imports thick and fast in order to keep lights on, factories open and even water supplies flowing.

With electricity shortages sparked by scant coal supply crippling large sections of industry, the governor of Jilin province, one of the hardest hit in the world’s no.2 economy, called for a surge in coal imports, while a power company association said supply was being expanded “at any cost”.

News organisations and social media carried reports and posts saying the lack of power in the northeast had shut down traffic lights…Full Story

Mgojo blames Exxaro’s 30% plunge in coal exports to “one of worst rail performances”

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By Brendan Ryan | Mining MX

EXXARO Resources churned profits and dividends in the six months to end-June but that was thanks to its non-managed iron ore investments because its core coal business was hammered by Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR’s) disastrous performance on the coal export line to Richard’s Bay.

Coal export sales plunged 30% to 4.1 million tons (Mt) in the six months to end-June (six months to end-June 2020: 5.9Mt). That’s worse than was predicted in March by Exxaro CEO-elect Nombasa Tsengwa who warned that some two million tons of coal exports were “at risk” for all of 2021 because of TFR’s poor performance.

Tsengwa today told Miningmx that the “at risk” figure on Exxaro’s forecast coal exports for 2021 had been increased to three million tons…Full Story

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