By Tonny Raggatt

June 8, 2017 - The high-energy content of Adani’s Carmichael coal will provide a 60 percent emissions benefit when burned in India’s power stations, a mining forum in Townsville, Queensland, Australia was told yesterday.

Adani Australia director of projects Peter Thomas provided the figures to the North Queensland Mining and Resources Industry Forum, saying he wanted to reach out to anyone worried about climate change.

Mr. Thomas said the company’s 4600MW coal-fired power station in Mundra, India, was using about 16 million tonnes of coal a year with a calorific or energy value of 3000 kilocalories sourced from Indonesia, South Africa and India.

That compared with an energy value from Carmichael coal of “a little bit north” of 5000 kilocalories.

“It doesn’t take Albert Einstein to figure out that a higher energy component coal is going to be better for carbon emissions,” Mr. Thomas said. “I want to reach out to people in the audience who are worried about climate change and the leaching out of the (Great Barrier) Reef and a lot of the alarmist stuff out there.

“This project is actually going to help the greenhouse impact of coal plants around the world because you are using more efficient coal.

“You are getting a 60 percent benefit to what carbon would be introduced to the environment for every unit of carbon that’s used.”

But anti-Adani campaigners rejected the argument with GetUp! spokesman Sam Regester saying it was irrelevant because power from Adani’s loss-making Mundra plant was being replaced with much cheaper renewable generation.

Mr. Thomas provided an outline on Adani’s interests in Australia which include solar and wind generation as well as agriculture.

He also gave an update on its “reshaped” Carmichael project, confirming its capacity in the first few years had been reduced from 60 million to a “little over” 25 million tonnes a year.

After financial approval was given this week, Mr. Thomas said it was likely the first sod would be turned in September or October.

Amendment to native title laws, expected to be passed next week, was the “significant outstanding” item.

Mr. Thomas said the mine, which included underground and open cut projects, would be open pit.

He said the plan for a 388km rail line from the mine to Abbot Point was little changed and would be Queensland’s first standard gauge line able to carry an extra one-third volume.

“It’s fully intended to cart not just coal from the Carmichael project but for as many mines as possible in the Galilee region,” he said.

Mr. Thomas said Adani hoped to begin solar projects at Moranbah and Whyalla in the next 12 months and was also considering wind farms.

He said some of Adani’s agriculture executives had been in Australia recently and wanted to start “ramping up” their activities.

He said Adani was one of the largest producers of edible oils and were looking to produce one million tonnes of pulses.