Bangladesh may soon adopt coal policy either in isolation or as an integral part of revised National Energy Policy. What is understood from recent media reports that the draft coal policy is in the final stage and soon will be placed to the council of advisors of the caretaker government for approval. It has also been reported, the fresh mining initiatives have to wait for the approval of the policy. Two of the contracts signed earlier may be renegotiated on the basis of coal policy, which is yet to be approved and adopted. It is, however, to be ascertained whether it is logical to have retroactive impact of a policy on contracts concluded years before the policy come into being. Keeping that situation aside, let us discuss the importance of coal mining in the rapidly dwindling energy supply situation of the country.

Bangladesh is struggling with acute energy crisis. It cannot cope up with huge deficit of power .The country is in the grip of massive load shedding. Several contingency measures successfully adopted by government have made little impact. Most of ageing plants cannot maintain steady production; no new significant generation is in view. Industries are struggling to maintain their production schedule. Export earning industries have already lost their competitive edge. Public sufferings are compounding in the sweltering heat and humidity. Inadequate power supply has also impacted on water supply, CNG delivery to automobiles. The crisis is deepening every passing day. 

The government has already passed four months of its tenure. But due to procedural delays it has so far failed to initiate any meaningful action for new power generation. Some of the ongoing generation initiatives are also moving very slowly. There have been suggestions to go for large plants for base loads. Well these plants need lead-time. If the prevailing situation persists the crisis in the next summer will be much worse. People will loose patience and peace and stability may become critical. We do not want repeat of Kansat or Shanir Akhra. But sufferings of the people are nothing better.

Our power generation is mostly dependent on natural gas. We do not have huge reserve and we do not have a dynamic exploration program to find new source of gas... Hence continued mono-fuel based energy generation may be disastrous for us. Experts are suggesting expediting harnessing of other basic energy resource –high quality bituminous coal. We must diversify our fuel choice for power generation for sustainability and for utilizing natural gas for more economic use. The opinion is sharply divided on the basic technical issues of coal mining methods. Some persons are vigorously opposing surface mining methods and even advocating for banning surface mining. However, the only underground active coalmine completed after more than a decades of work is proving to be a white elephant. It has experienced some disasters. Other initiatives are stalled for the dilemma. The immediate past government prepared draft coal policy, which had input of experts and different stakeholders. But weak and indecisive political government did not conclude the actions for approval. Now CTG is going ahead with it and may approve it soon. Whatever happens, time is fast running out. Even if we can clear any initiative for coal mining this year it will not be before 2012 that we my find active mine and power generation with coal from that mine. More delay will obviously put it back. Till that time gas will have to bear the burnt if some other major plants can be made operational.
Underground Barapukuria coalmine already met some disasters. At early stage the mining was suspended for a long time due flooding, then immediately after commencement of operation there was gas leakage which led to the burial of millions dollars worth of machineries and closure of one portion of mine. Recently another gas leakage has led to death of an English consultant. So the underground mining has not proved an appropriate option for Barapukuria so far. So the mining methods need to be carefully planned after extensive studies and analysis.

The issues which will be seriously debated apart from mining methods are royalty percentage, production cap, export etc. We can examine the royalty situation prevailing in different countries. But we must keep our situation in view. We could not attract major miners in our country so far .We know the reasons. If we are too rigid with this we may not get good response. While 6% royalty is sounds low 20% or above will be too high. We may consider somewhere in between. No genuine and well-known company will risk their borrowed capital in a country like Bangladesh without opportunity of appropriate ROR as investment and political risks are greater here than many other investment friendly countries. Every developer must install at least a medium capacity mine mouth power plant. There should be preferential price of coal for domestic market. Export options should also be carefully handled depending on reserve and recovery situation. Developers must ensure appropriate environmental protection, rehabilitation and relocation of affected community. Impact on surface and subsurface water table must also be monitored and appropriate actions must be taken by the developers. Insurance issues must also v be seriously looked into. Developers must train Bangladeshi professionals and ensure that competent Bangladeshis are preferred for work. Environment and safety issues must be audited and regulated by independent regulatory body.

Well the above issues are definitely within the discussion agenda of experts and policy makers. Now for the common people like the author let us discuss the basic mining issues so that the general readers of EP can have an inside into mining options. One of our well- versed experts in a leading daily has written a very well composed article. Taking a clue from that the following is presented for basic understanding of coal mining.

Coal mining as defined in the encyclopedia is the technical and mechanical activities in removing coal from the earth and preparing it for the market. Coal mining is characterized by integration of a number of complex systems into production technology that varies for surface versus underground mining.

The basic systems of the production methodology are the following:

1. Extraction system: the methods and technique used to break out or “win” the coal. 

2. Materials handling systems: the transport of coal and waste products away from the active production area, and transport the necessary materials, equipment, supplies, and workers to service the extraction system. 

3. Ventilation: the development and operation of an air distribution system to provide quantity, quality and velocity of air where and when needed to meet health and safety requirements. 

4. Ground Control: the control of the behavior of the underground and surface openings developed by the extraction of coal. 

5. Reclamation: the restoration of the mined area to its approximate original state or to an approved state.


Planning, Designing and Engineering Coal Mining 
To properly plan, design, and engineer a production system, knowledge of the geology of the deposit and the chemical and physical properties of the coal must be assembled and assessed. Basis information on the geology of the deposit is obtained from surface prospecting and mapping, and borehole drilling. This information is used to determine the size and shape of the coal area, the geologic column above and below all minable seams, the continuity and persistence of geologic features throughout the deposit, the presence of water and methane gas, and other conditions. Proximate chemical analyses are made to determine coal characteristics, which affect its utilization. Tests are made to determine the cleaning, grinding, and handling properties of the coal. So to properly plan and successfully implement a coal mining knowledge of analytical chemistry, engineering geology, prospecting, rock mechanics and spectroscopy is essential. A mining operation needs assembly of professionals from so many disciplines. I think this will give us an idea how inadequate human resources we have in planning and managing implementation of a coal mine.

Methods of Extraction: 
The most economical method of coal extraction from coal seams depends on the depth and quality of the seams, and also on the geology and environmental factors of the area being mined. Mining processes are generally differentiated by whether they operate on surface or underground.

Open Pit Surface Mining:
An open pit is an excavation or cut made at the surface of the ground for the purpose of extracting coal and which remains open to the surface for the duration of the mines life. Open pit mining often referred to as strip mining exposes the coal by advancement of an open pit or strip. As the coal is exposed and extracted the overburden from still covered coal fills the former pit, and strip progresses. The main objective of a commercial mining operation is the exploitation of the mineral deposit at the lowest possible cost with a view to maximizing profits. The selection of physical design parameters and the scheduling of the mineral deposit and waste extraction program are complex engineering decisions of enormous economic significance. The planning of an open pit mine is, therefore, basically an exercise in economics, constrained by certain geologic and mining engineering aspects.

In an open pit coal mine, the pit bottom would be the bottom mined coal seam elevation, since it is usually feasible to extract multiple seams when surface mining coal.

Planning must account for both environmental protection, beginning as early as initial exploration, and for reclamation. It is critical that planning alleviates or mitigates potential impacts of mining for two key reasons: 

1. The cost of environmental protection is minimized by incorporating it into initial design, rather than performing remedial measures to compensate for design deficiencies 

2. Negative publicity or poor public relations may have severe economic consequences. 

From the start of the planning process, adequate consideration may be given to regulatory affairs. The cost of compliance may be significantly reduced when taken into account in the design and planning process, in a proactive manner, rather than being addressed on an ad hoc basis as problems develop or enforcement actions occur.

From the beginning of the main design planning stage, data gathering and permitting, environmental considerations are important, although the benefits from a strictly economic sense may be intangible. From exploration, where core holes must be sealed and site reclaimed, through plan development, the impacts on the environment must be considered. The impacts include aesthetics, noise, air quality (dust and pollutants), vibration, waste discharge and runoff, subsidence and process wastes, sources including the underground and surface mine infrastructure, mineral processing plant, access or haul roads, remote facilities etc. If mining will cause quality deterioration of either surface water or ground water, remedial and treatment measures must be developed to meet discharge standards. The mine plan must include all technical measures necessary to handle all the environmental problems from initial data gathering to the mine closure and reclamation of the disturbed surface area.

Reclamation plans include many of the following concerns: drainage control, preservation of top soil, segregation of waste materials, erosion and sediment control, solid waste disposal, control of fugitive dust, regarding and restoration of waste and mine areas. The plan must also consider the effects of subsidence, vibration (induced by mining, processing, transport, or subsidence) and impact on surface water and groundwater. The environmental issues often dictate the economics of a planned mining operation and determine viability

The readers may note that surface mining is definitely the most economical options provided it meets the above situations and all issues are addressed in the well-planned operation

Underground Mining:
Most coal seams are too deep for open cast mining and are harnessed through underground mining. In deep mining, the room and pillar or board and pillar method progress along the Mammoth coal vein seam, while pillars and timber are left standing to support the coal mine roof. The most dangerous method of operation in deep mining is known as robbing the pillars. This is where miners attempt to remove and/or retreat between the timbers in order to get coal out of main coal seam, allowing the roof to cave in. This method of mining is used principally in the United States and has contributed too many fatalities in the industry of coal mining. There are four major underground mining methods:

· Longwall Mining – accounts for about 50% of underground production. The Longwall shearer has a face of 1000 feet or more. It is a sophisticated machine with a rotating drum that moves mechanically back and forth across a wide coal seam. The loosened coal falls onto a pan line that takes the coal to the conveyor belt for removal from the work area. Longwall systems have their own hydraulic roof supports for overlying rock that advance with the machine as mining progresses. As Longwall mining equipment moves forward, overlying rock is no longer supported by the coal that has been removed is allowed to fall behind the operation in a controlled manner. The supports make possible high levels of production and safety. Sensors detect how much coal remains in the seam while robotic controls enhance efficiency. Longwall systems allow a 60-80% coal recovery rate where the surrounding geology allows their use.
· Continuous Mining: Utilizes a machine with a large rotating drum equipped with tungsten carbide teeth that scrape coal from the seam. Operating in a “room and pillar” system-where the mine is divided into a series of 20-30 foot “rooms” or work areas cut into the coal bed- it can mine as five tons of coal a minute- more than a miner of the 1920s would produce in an entire day. Continuous miners account for about 45% of underground coal production, and also utilize conveyors to transport the removed coal from the seam. Remote controlled continuous miners are used to work in a variety of difficult seams and conditions and robotic versions controlled by computers are becoming increasingly common.
· Conventional Mining: An older practice that uses explosives to break up coal seam, after which the coal is gathered and loaded onto shuttle cars or conveyors for removal to a central loading area. This process consists of a series of operations that begins with “cutting” the coal bed so it will break easily when blasted with explosives. This type of mining accounts for less than 5% underground production in major coal producing country like USA.
· Shortwall Mining: A method that accounts for less than 1% of deep coal production, Shortwall involves the use of a continuous mining machine with moveable roof supports, similar to Longwall. The continuous miners shears coal panels 150-200 feet wide and more than a half a mile long, depending on other things like the strata of the Earth and transverse waves

Experienced miners and mining professionals can judge which type of mining will be suitable for specific cases and plan, engineer, execute mining operation accordingly. With sketchy knowledge and without in depth study and analysis, it is not judicious to conclude that a particular method of mining will not be permitted in a country.

Dangers to Miners: Historically coal mining is a very dangerous activity. Open cut hazards are principally slope failure, underground mining roof collapse and gas explosions. Most of these risks are greatly reduced in modern mines, and multiple fatalities are now rare in the developed world.

However, in lesser developed countries, thousands continue to die annually in coal mines. China, in particular, has the highest number of coal mining related deaths in the world; in 2004 alone the official statistics show 6027 deaths. On the same year the death in US was 28. Chinas production is double to that of US annually.

Chronic lung diseases, such as pneumoconiosis (black lung) were once common, leading to reduced life expectancy.

Build up of a hazardous gas are known as damps, possibly from German word “ Dampf” which means steam or vapor:

· Black damp: a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in a mine can cause suffocation.
· After damp: similar to black damp, an after damp consists of carbon dioxide and nitrogen and forms after a mine explosion.
· Fire damp : consists of mostly methane , a flammable gas
· Stink damp : so named for the rotten egg smell of the sulfur, a stink damp can explode
· White damp: mainly carbon monoxide, suffocates like black damp.

We must be very aware of mine related hazards and be very particular about stringent safety measures.

Environmental Impacts and Mitigation:
Coal mining causes adverse environmental impacts, these include:
1. Release of methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas.
2. Interference with groundwater and water table levels.
3. Impact of water use on flows of rivers and consequential impact on other land users.
4. Dust.
5. Subsidence among tunnels, sometimes damaging infrastructures.
6. Rendering land unfit for the common usage of the area.

Burning of coal mainly for power generation is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and global warming.

Strip mining severely alters the landscape, which has damages environmental value in the surrounding land. While there are sometimes requirements of remediation of strip mined areas ,the remediation is often delayed. One of the legacies of coal mining is the low coal content waste forming boney piles.

Now let us see how the above situation is managed in developed world.

In response to negative land effects of coal mining and abundance of abandoned mines in the USA , the federal government enacted the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) which requires reclamation plus for future coal mining sites. Reclamation plans must be approved and permitted by federal or state authorities before mining begins. Bangladesh may take clue from this act and incorporate the relevant sections in the coal policy if this provision is not already there.

All forms of mining are likely to generate areas where coal is stacked and where the coal has significant sulphur content, such coal heaps generate highly acidic, metal- laden drainage when exposed to rainfall. These liquors can cause severe environmental damage to receiving water –courses. Coal mining releases approximately twenty toxic release chemicals, of which 85% is said to be managed at site. Modern mining meet standards for protecting surface and groundwaters from contamination, including acid mine drainage (AMD). To mitigate these problems, water is continuously monitored at coalmines. Five principal technologies are used to control water flow at mine sites are: diversion systems, containment ponds, ground water pumping systems, subsurface drainage systems, and subsurface barriers. In case of AMD, contaminated water is generally pumped to a treatment facility that neutralizes the contaminants.

Coal mining is also harmful to the quality of air in the surrounding regions. Burning of coal in power plants is most harmful to air quality, the process of mining can release pocket of hazardous gases. 

Coal mining can bring significant climatic change of a region. The massive draught in Queensland and NSW is attributed to extensive coal mining and burning of coal for power generation in Australia. Australia is now striving for clean coal technology and also contemplating for nuclear power generation. Small country like Bangladesh must follow very stringent environmental control both in mining and utilization of coal to mitigate the adverse impacts.


Let us hope that appropriate coal policy either in isolation or as a part of revised National Energy Policy will be approved soon for commencing the long expected coal mining in the most economic and environment friendly manner. The mid term energy security of Bangladesh is largely dependent of successful mining and exploitation of our significant coal resource.


[This write up is basically intended for general readers and non-miners like us. It may be useful for the knowledge of EP readers who are keen to know about mining]