Early registration is open for those wishing to attend the South African Underground Coal Gasification Association (SAUCGA) conference, which will take place on August 24 at the Graceland Hotel, in Secunda, Mpumalanga. The conference will discuss the unlocking of unmineable coal reserves in Southern Africa.

The SAUCGA conference will this year be hosted in the same week as the South African Coal Processing Society conference, which will also happen at the same venue.

“We view this as an advantage as this enables us to share mutual aspects on coal activities and coal research in South Africa,” says SAUCGA secretary Dr Johan van Dyk.

Moreover, the one-day conference will allow participants the opportunity to gain information on the latest trends and developments in underground coal gasification (UCG), both in Southern Africa and globally.

Van Dyk mentions that this will ensure that this endeavour is undertaken in the most appropriate, sustainable and environmentally sound manner.

As a result, he points out that presenters at the conference will include commercial UCG operators, geologists, drilling companies, economists, technology companies, legal personnel, the departments of Water and Sanitation and Energy and personnel who deal with research and development.

UCG is a mining method that extracts in situ coal reserves through a process that converts the coal into syngas; it produces 25% less carbon dioxide for each megawatt of electricity than a conventional boiler of the same output.

Amid the electricity crisis being experienced in the country, a confirmed keynote presentation at the conference is that by a delegate from multinational power plants company Clarke Energy on power generation from coal-derived syngas using reciprocating engines as a tool to address the crisis.

Geotechnical consulting services company Golder Associates Africa geochemistry leader David Love will present on the topic ‘Innovative approaches to predicting, mitigating and remediating groundwater pollution in UCG’.

State-owned power utility Eskom UCG manager Mark van der Riet will provide an update on the Eskom Majuba UCG project and directional drilling company Aqua Alpha Drilling Solutions MD Conrad Katz will present on the ‘Advances in drilling and completion technology that can enhance UCG projects’.