Pre-conference Networking Session and Tea

09:00 – 09:30 - Session One - CBM: Broadening South Africa's Energy Mix

• Long a risk, increasingly a reward: global increased interest in unconventional natural gas and its uses
• Australia: how did they make CBM part of their energy mix?
• South Africa: opportunity or not? Potential is there, but we need a plan and structure
• What should stakeholders be doing?
• What can we learn from Australia?

Confirmed Speaker - Wickus Botha - Partner Mining & Metals sector leader Africa @ Ernst and Young

09:30 – 10:00 - Session Two - Key technical, safety and commercial considerations in developing CMM power generation, CMM flaring and VAM projects (International Presentation)

• Methane concentration limits for CMM, explanation of significance especially with respect to safety
• Methane concentration limits for VAM, explanation of significance especially with respect to safety
• Methane flow, power outputs, carbon mitigation figures
• Current technology selection and evaluation guidance (gas turbine/CCGT, recipes, flaring, VAM RTOs, VAM RCOs)
• Future technologies
• Risks, availability

Confirmed Speaker -Neil Butler - Technical Director @ HEL-East Ltd

10:00 - 10:30 - Session Three - Are Technologies Ready Today to Convert all Methane to Power (International Presentation)

• What is the range of methane concentrations emitted from coal mines?
• What technologies are available to capture the methane?
• How efficient are these technologies?  How Clean?  How Expensive?
• What are the challenges?  Drawbacks?

Confirmed Speaker - Dr Patrick Glynn - Senior Scientist, Mine Health, Safety and Environment Research @ CSIRO

10:30 – 11:00 - Mid-Morning Tea-break

11:00 – 11:30 - Session Four - CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) Combined with ECBM (Enhanced Coal Bed Methane) Extraction

• CCS technology
• Examples for ECBM extraction using Carbon dioxide
• Potential for South Africa?

Confirmed Speaker – Dr Sibbele Hietkamp – Specialist Consultant @ SACCCS - SANERI

11:30 – 12:00 - Session Five - Challenges of coal mine methane drainage in South African coal seams

• Challenges involved in coal mine methane drainage in South African collieries
• Comparison to coal mine methane drainage and exploitation in Australian collieries
• Anglo American’s mobile methane flaring unit as a solution to fugitive emissions

Coal mine methane, characterized as a fugitive emission adding to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, is a largely uncontrolled emission from many collieries in South Africa. Numerous investigations into the drainage / capture and downstream utilization of this potential energy source have been documented, yet the actual implementation of such utilization technologies is very limited in South African collieries when compared to Australia and the United States of America. What are the geological constraints on South African ventilation air methane utilization, and what are the alternatives to allowing this greenhouse gas to be released to the atmosphere?

Confirmed Speaker – Kate McIntyre – Environmental Specialist (Carbon Footprint) @ Anglo American Thermal Coal

12:00 – 12:30 – Panel Discussion

12:30 – 13:30 – Lunch Break

13:30 – 14:00 - Session Six - UCG Value Addition - A conceptual View

• What is UCG?
  • What is gasification?
  • Pros/Cons/Challenges/Opportunities of UCG
• UCG to Power and/or Chemicals
  • Power flow schemes
  • Methanation flow scheme
• UCG efficiencies and water utilisation overview

Confirmed Speaker - Niko Hamp – Consulting Process Engineer @ Pronix Process Services

14:00 – 14:30 - Session Seven - The exploitation of Ventilated Air Methane (VAM) Gas for the generation of electricity using economically and environmentally sustainable technology

• VAM gas is a significant contributor to the carbon footprint of a coal mine.
• Low and variable concentrations of VAM gas can be harnessed to generate electricity using EESTech’s Hybrid Coal Gas (HCGT) Technology.
• This can be used as a fuel in combination with low grade (discard) coal of variable characterisitics.
• The capital costs are economically feasible

Confirmed Speaker - Ken Smith - Director @ Estec Africa

14:30 – 15:00 - Session Eight - Clean Coal Technologies (International Presentation)

Confirmed Speaker  - Philip Skelton - Technical Director @ Wardell Armstrong

15:00 – 15:30 – Mid-Afternoon Tea-Break

15:30 – 16:00 - Session Nine - Utilization of methane gases from coal seams with gas engines

• Coal Mine Gas technical challenges and features to address them
• Coal Mine Gas Cost of Electricity – Revenues needed for broad commercialization
• The ramp up gas business model – Drivers
• Advantages of gas engines for on-site PG from CBM
• GE’s Gas engines CMG/CBM product offering
• Reference sites CMG/CBM

Confirmed Speaker - Lwazi Sikwebu – Manager @ General Electric (South Africa)

16:00 - 16:30 - Session Ten - Gas storage Strategies (International Presentation)

• Why is Storage Needed
• Types of Gas Storage
  • Depleted gas reservoir
  • Aquifer Reservoir
  • Salt Caverns
  • LNG
  • Others
• Owners
• Regulation and Deregulation
• Effects of natural gas prices on storage
• Storage economics
• Future of storage technology

Confirmed Speaker - Dr Barry Stevens – CEO @ TBD America Inc

16:30 – 17:00 - Panel Discussion

End of Day