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http://www.energyasia.com/public-stories/australia-coal-highlighted-at-4th-high-level-group-meeting-with-japan-on-energy-minerals

EnergyAsia, March 16 2011, Wednesday) --- The importance of Australia's brown coal and world-class reserves were highlighted at last weeks Australia-Japan High Level Group on Energy and Minerals Consultations at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in the Australia's Victoria state.

At its 4th annual session, the bilateral meeting opened opportunities for business and government leaders from both countries to discuss, review and advance various coal technologies.

The event took place before Japan was hit by an 8.9-richter earthquake, its worst on record, leaving at least 2,400 people dead and more than 10,000 missing.

Japanese officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Department of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) and Japan Coal Energy Center (JCoal) met with their Australian counterparts from federal and state government departments and organisations including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

The private sector was represented by Japanese Kawasaki and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Australian Coal Association, Brown Coal Innovation Australia and Environmental Clean Technologies Limited.

Much of the discussion focussed on increasing demand for brown coal, and the need for drying it before use in high-efficiency power generation facilities to lower the carbon dioxide emissions generated during electricity production.

According to Environmental Clean Technologies Limited, it is vital to extract water from brown coal in a cost-effective manner to favour carbon dioxide reduction processes such as integrated combined cycle gasification (IGCC) and ultra supercritical (USC) power generation technology.