The World Coal Association (WCA) has established an exciting new partnership with the Brazilian Coal Association (BCA) to pursue collaborative work to advance technical, environmental, and strategic research on clean coal technologies. In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in Brazil by WCA Chief Executive, Milton Catelin and BCA President, Fernando Zancan, the WCA and BCA have agreed to take part in cooperative activities across a range of technologies.

Catelin said, “As the coal industry works to improve access to modern energy, it is critical to develop and utilise technologies to reduce the environmental impacts associated with our energy consumption. Research has shown that if we had used advanced coal technologies between 2000 and 2011 for new coal-fired generating capacity, cumulative emissions of CO2 over that period would have been reduced by almost 2 Gigatonnes (Gt) – this is three times the expected effect of the Kyoto Protocol. Technology is clearly critical to meeting the environmental challenges we face today.

“This MOU not only highlights the importance of clean coal technologies in the future production of energy, it is an invaluable opportunity to work with BCA to deliver pragmatic solutions that address environmental challenges.”

Cooperative activities covered by the new MOU include: the development of clean coal technologies studies; carbon capture use and storage (CCUS); coal-to-liquids technologies; technologies to tackle acid mine drainage; and tackling waste from coal production and use, such as the use of coal combustion products.

“We look forward to cooperating with the Brazilian Coal Association across these important areas. The MOU has the full support of WCA’s Strategic Research Institute, based in Beijing, and we welcome this opportunity to cooperate internationally on these matters,” said Catelin.