What Can Be Done To Increase Coal Production in South America?

I’m on email distribution lists for many hundreds of different energy-related conferences and events that take place around the world each year.  And while most of them contemplate better approaches to sustainability or heavier penetration of renewable energy, some come from the oil and/or coal companies.

Here’s an invitation that I’ll be declining: the opportunity to learn more about what can be done to spur on the mining and export of coal from Columbia.  The piece begins with an intriguing come-on:

With slumping coal prices and rumours that producers worldwide are beginning to cut production, many questions have been raised over the future of Colombian coal. Analysts have reported that the market will recover but that it will first face further consolidation before prices and production can reach healthy levels again. However, in spite of all of this uncertainty, players along the supply chain are exploring fresh and innovative strategies to drive growth.

Needless to say, strategies to drive the growth of coal production don’t get me too excited.  But the existence of such conferences should serve as a reminder to us all: most of the world simply doesn’t care about sustainability, especially if it means a limit to its access of the least expensive source of energy.