This year’s theme, The Power of Mining: Energy’s Influence, is not focusing on any one sector of the mining industry, SME spokeswoman Tara Davis confirmed for International Longwall News, but rather every side – how it is produced, traded and transported.
Not every session will relate to the main theme, she said, but a “uniting theme brings it all together”
She confirmed that the itinerary has been completed and that the convention centre’s exhibit floor, with more than 400 vendors from all types of mining, is sold out. Davis also said SME is expecting “record-breaking” attendance with “lots of synergy” because the industry as a whole is prospering.
Some of the coal-related presentations include:
Coal Utilisation: Carbon Management;
Mining In Colorado;
Energy’s Influence Symposium: Getting, Measuring and Using Energy at Mining Operations; and
Resource Evaluation and Planning.
The event’s keynote session will also be held Monday, beginning at 9am local time.
“The opening session will feature a ‘view from the top’ as senior governmental and industry leaders review the outlook for the mining of coal, metals and other minerals,” the organisation said, and will include discussions about the FutureGen project, coal-to-liquids technologies and more.
The keynote’s panel consists of United States Senator Ken Salazar (Colorado, invited), United States Department of the Interior secretary Dirk Kempthorne (invited), United States Department of Energy secretary Samuel Bodman (invited), Peabody Energy senior vice-president of government relations Fredrick D Palmer, Southern States Energy Board executive director and secretary Ken Nemeth, and CAMECO chief Gerald Grandey (invited).
Keep watching all this week for details and information on the remaining days of the SME Annual Meeting as well as next week’s coverage from the event.