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May 2016 2 www.coalage.com editor's note Split Decisions and Future Predictions A s this edition of Coal Age was going to press, the results of the 2018 midterm elections were still being tabulated in some states. For most of the country, however, the results re- affirmed the current situation: an equally divided nation. Just as it was in 2016, stark differences separate rural and urban voters. Gaining a few seats in the U.S. Senate and losing a ma- jority in the House of Representatives, the President Donald Trump Administration declared it a victory considering the re- sults from past presidencies. Only time will tell how the elec- tion will influence politics in coal country. As it does each month, Coal Age reports good and bad news. The lead story this month is the Coronado Global IPO. The financial press, especially in Australia, called it disap- pointing because it didn't achieve expectations, but it was the largest coal float on the ASX. Cloud Peak Energy is considering a possible sale. Several coal operators in the Midwest and Appalachia have announced some good results. Coal markets out- side the U.S. remain tight with metallurgical-grade coals commanding a premium. The cover story this month is dragline maintenance. As Coal Age details in the report, many of the machines have been operating for 40 years now. That's a tes- tament to both engineering design and continuing maintenance programs. In this report, Coal Age offers readers three ways to possibly improve dragline mining oper- ations with modern electrics, braking technology and structural supports. This edition also carries a report on Komatsu's autonomous haulage systems that first appeared in Engineering & Mining Journal (E&MJ;). While these systems are only currently operating in iron ore, copper and the oil sands, Komatsu strongly believes the technology is transferrable to coal. The system has several benefits including im- proved safety performance as well as lower operating and maintenance costs. Another report on high-horsepower motors walks readers through the historical development of the motors used underground for longwall mining systems. This is an area that grew rapidly as the industry evolved, and it's one where machinery encounters some of the most difficult coal mining conditions. The report also details motor advancement in other areas of coal operations. This edition also includes an overview of the Indian coal mining industry. India set some ambitious goals for its coal operators and, much to the surprise of many, they are meeting those goals. Today, it is producing and importing a record amount of coal. It and many of its neighbors in Asia will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The International Energy Agency's (IEA) latest World Energy Outlook (WEO) up- date shows continued strong growth in Asian demand for coal through 2040. The WEO estimates the growth in demand for coal in the Asia Pacific will increase by 492 million metric tons by 2040. This includes substantial growth in India and south- east Asia, which counteracts projected falls in China and Japan. The IEA forecasts Australia's net exports of coal would grow by around 20%, to around 430 million mt, by 2040. Half of those exports will be metallurgical coal. Australia's production is also forecast to exceed that of the U.S. by the late 2020s, with more than 40% of coal produced in Australia expected to be sourced from new mines. The good news in all of this: coal consumption will continue to grow worldwide and the U.S. will still be using coal in 2040. 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COPYRIGHT 2018: Coal Age, incorporating Coal and Coal Mining & Processing. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief sfiscor@mining-media.com BY STEVE FISCOR PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mining Media International, Inc. 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306 Jacksonville, Florida 32224 U.S.A. Phone: +1.904.721.2925 Fax: +1.904.721.2930 Editorial Publisher & Editor-in-Chief—Steve Fiscor, sfiscor@mining-media.com Associate Editor—Jennifer Jensen, jjensen@mining-media.com Technical Writer—Jesse Morton, jmorton@mining-media.com Contributing Editor—Russ Carter, rcarter@mining-media.com Latin American Editor—Oscar Martinez, omartinez@mining-media.com Graphic Designer—Tad Seabrook, tseabrook@mining-media.com Sales Midwest/Eastern U.S. & Canada, Sales—Victor Matteucci, vmatteucci@mining-media.com Western U.S., Canada & Australia—Frank Strazzulla, fstrazzulla@mining-media.com Scandinavia, UK and European Sales—Colm Barry, colm.barry@telia.com Germany, Austria & Switzerland Sales—Gerd Strasmann, info@strasmann-media.de Japan Sales—Masao Ishiguro, ma.ishiguro@w9.dion.ne.jp Production Manager—Dan Fitts, dfitts@mining-media.com