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In anticipation of our Australian Coal conference which is being held next month, we asked a few key speakers what they were most looking forward to discussing with other attendees over the two days. The event is a key opportunity for Australian stakeholders to meet in Sydney to hear from major players and industry experts and analyse the current trends changing the coal industry.
Here is what they had to say.
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There’s a great line-up of industry expertise attending the event with a range of different exposures to the coal sector. I look forward to bouncing around ideas on the state of the current market and getting some colour on how various companies – from producers to juniors – are experiencing the downturn on the ground. Expect some interesting, though not necessarily convergent, ideas to be exchanged. Marian Hookham, Senior Manager, IHS Energy |
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What I am most looking forward to discussing is the transitioning of the coal mining companies from their unsustainable strategy of “cutting costs at any cost” to the sustainable strategy of “improving real productivity. Dr Graham Lumley, Director – Mining Intelligence and Benchmarking, PwC Australia |
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I am really looking forward to discussing the future of the seaborne coking coal industry with other industry participants. The industry has been dealing with considerable challenges over the past few years with declining prices and a hostile macro-economic environment. Despite this there are glimmers of hope on the horizon and it will be interesting to hear from other industry players what they think the triggers will be for a recovery in prices and market sentiment. I am also looking forward to hearing how other participants in the market are responding to the challenges and changing the operating paradigms. Craig Parry, Managing Director & CEO, Tigers Realm Coal Limited |
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Opportunities to engage with thoughtful individuals and companies preparing for a coming return to investment growth in the coal industry, with increasing detail around where this growth is going to occur, and whom Australia’s competitors will be. Gordon Saul, Managing Director, Resolve Coal Pty Ltd |
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I have been in the coal business for a long time and have seen cycles come and go. I am particularly interested in the factors which drive the investment decision in relation to where we are in the cycle. For example if you believe there is scope for a significant expansion of demand in the next decade, why is there not more countercyclical investment in new projects? In addition to this I am also keen for buyers to distinguish the difference between price and value especially as it relates to coal quality and the utilisation processes. Thermal coal, for example, is essentially energy plus impurities. Price relates predominantly to the energy content whereas value relates to the cost of producing a unit of electricity and the impurities (moisture, ash, the various ash components, trace elements) significantly influence the utilisation characteristics of coal and therefore the generation of that unit of electricity. Chris Hartley, Director, Hartley Coal & Resource Marketing Pty Ltd |
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Australian Coal Mining Industry and METS Strategies for Global Competitiveness; For example Australian Thermal Coal Exports compete with Indonesia and with China Domestic Industry for Imports into China. Bede Boyle, Chairman, Manufacturship Group |
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I am looking forward to the upcoming conference and even more excited to listen and interact with various people who fail to understand the significance of Leadership within their business, company or organisation. Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership. Bernie Garrett, Director, Foundation Leadership |
“We can blame the environment, we can blame the market conditions, we can blame our circumstances, but we cannot blame anyone if we cannot lead!” Bernie Garrett, Director, Foundation Leadership
