As Stephen Simpson recently pointed out in Coal Continues to Creak, the markets aren’t exactly stoked about the near-term prospects of companies that harvest the commodity known as “the other black gold.” Despite last week’s rally in coal stocks because of the Energy Information Agency’s prediction of a tightening in the supply/demand equation in 2007, [...]

Arch Coal Inc. said Thursday it agreed to invest $25 million in DKRW Advanced Fuels LLC as part of a deal in which it acquired a 25 percent equity interest in the company.
Arch said in a release that in exchange for the equity interest, it also agreed to extend its existing option agreement with DKRW [...]

Prospects are excellent for North Dakota to take advantage of new, commercial coal gasification technology they saw operating in Europe, according to North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem after returning from a trip to Europe on a fact finding visit.
“We saw advanced coal gasification plants with a strong track record [...]

A young man has suffered serious facial burns while working at a coal mine in south-western Sydney.
The 21-year-old was working on the surface of the Douglas Park mine when an oxygen bottle caught fire and badly burnt his face.
The NRMA Careflight helicopter airlifted the Queensland man to hospital where he is in a serious but [...]

In a state that already houses some of the nation’s dirtiest utilities, environmentalists say a plan to build eleven new coal-fired power plants will keep Texas residents “gasping for clean air.”
Despite widespread and growing opposition, the project, proposed by TXU, the state’s largest utility company, has the outspoken support of Governor Rick Perry.
TXU says [...]

Alstom has been awarded a £370m contract by US utility Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) to supply its new 850MW high-efficiency coal-fired power plant.
Alstom will provide engineering, design and construction of the boiler and air quality control equipment. When completed in 2010, this unit will generate clean and reliable electricity from the USA’s abundant [...]

Lamar Light and Power Superintendent Rick Rigel has been called upon to answer some tough questions about project costs for the coal repowering project in recent weeks. Although ARPA (Arkansas River Power Authority) is financing the project and actually owns the new facility, since Lamar Light and Power will be a major consumer of the [...]

Peel Land and Property Investments Ltd today responded to press speculation regarding its holding in UK Coal by claiming it has no intention of making an offer for the coal producer at this time.
Peel, which said its stake is for investment purposes, has watched shares in Britain’s biggest producer of coal jump around 36% since [...]

Environmentalists backing tighter and possible costlier controls on toxic mercury emissions from the Portland General Electric coal-fired power plant near Boardman oppose credits for limiting mercury output that PGE could sell to other power plants.
Conservation groups contend that selling the credits would let PGE make money from controlling pollution that it should be cutting back [...]

Russia increased coal production 6.7% year-on-year in January-July to 174.73 million tonnes, the Russian Industry and Energy Ministry said.
The ministry said 69% of the coal was mined in the Kuznetsk and Kansk-Achinsk coal basins. Production in these coal basins rose 6.7% and 12.7% respectively. It grew 1.8% in the Pechora basin, but fell 7% in [...]