Coal industry member advocacy and think tank the World Coal Association (WCA) welcomed South African coal miner Menar to its roster of progressive coal members on February 7.

On the sidelines of the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, WCA CEO Michelle Manook formalised Menar’s WCA membership with Menar chairperson Mpumelelo Mkhabela and MD Vuslat Bayoglu, saying coal was entering a new age of abatement which would “ensure that coal survives and thrives for decades to come”.

Manook says global events have shown how special and indispensable all energy resources are, “especially coal”.

She adds that the world cannot “afford to gamble on singular nor secondary energy solutions” when reliable, affordable, abated fuel resources are available.

Coal, Manook says, has entered a new and future age of abatement, enabling “up to 99% of all coal emissions to be eliminated through technologies and processes which can deliver Paris Agreement targets and prosperity”.

“Our members know this and want to share that commitment to energy excellence,” she says.

WCA chairperson July Ndlovu says the world has been plagued by a plethora of unprecedented energy challenges and it is clear that these are not going away anytime soon.

“We desperately need energy security in an insecure world. If the past year has taught us anything it’s that coal remains one of the best placed fuels to provide the energy security and sustainable strength that the world needs.

“With the wide sweeping clean technology available and a new breed of coal participants like Menar signing on to an abated coal future, we are in a good position to create a reliable, resilient energy system which uses coal to deliver economic development, climate change goals, and truly sustainable development outcomes,” he says.

Mkhabela says that, as a private investment company with a growing portfolio of diverse mining assets, Menar has a demonstrable commitment to skills and enterprise development, local procurement and employment.

“We understand coal’s need to transform alongside the need to keep economies developing and peoples’ lives improving. Coal is the bridge between all sustainable outcomes,” says Mkhabela.

Bayoglu states that the “good coal story” is too often overlooked – a situation, he says, that needs to be rectified.

“Coal remains the mainstay of steel production which creates wind turbines, solar panels and battery storage, which underpin renewable energy.

“I have said on numerous occasions that until countries can manufacture steel, cement and aluminium without coal, we need to be practical and accept coal’s current contribution to a decarbonised future.

“Looking forward, we want to be part of a fully abated coal future where participants across the whole coal value chain are playing their part to eliminate emissions, increase economic value and create sustainable social capital. That future needs to be better understood and that is why we are joining the WCA and its alliance of like-minded members committed to future coal,” he says.

Manook says Menar joins Seriti Resources as a new South African WCA member committed to modernising coal as a multifaceted, abated fuel of the future.