The two-day conference, September 15-16, will feature the coal industry's key producers, consumers, traders, analysts and shippers and will include field tours of the Bowen Basin coal fields and New South Wales’ Hunter Valley.
Coal industry leaders will speak on the overall outlook for the industry, key constraints such as rail and port bottlenecks, increasing international competition for metallurgical (coking) and thermal coal and other important industry issues including climate change, carbon dioxide capture and storage, and cleaner coal-burning technologies.
The conference will open with a session on new developments in the Australian coal sector. The key note address, A Smart Future for Coal, will be delivered by Queensland deputy premier Anna Bligh.
This will be followed by Ensham chief and president of the Queensland Resources Council, John Pegler, who will speak on the critical success factors for the Australian coal industry.