Programs for Technology Transfer to Overseas

Asia has recently seen tight supply/demand situation where coal prices are soaring due to increasing demand for coal. At the same time, eco-friendlier use of coal is desired amidst heightened interest in the global environmental issues. Accordingly, JCOAL is promoting the transfer of coal production and safety technologies and eco-friendlier clean coal technologies (CCT) to countries mainly in the Asia Pacific region, in order to help establish the basis for overcoming the constraints on natural resources and energy to achieve economic growth.

1.Human Resources Development

(1)Projects for Improving Coal Mining and Safety Technologies in Coal Producing Countries

Over years, Japan has accumulated excellent technologies for underground mining and safety. Leveraging on these technologies, JCOAL is accepting coal mining engineers from overseas and dispatching engineers to coal producing countries to hold training sessions. Such projects will help enhance the coal mining and safety technologies in the participating countries, which in the long run will contribute to sustainable supply of coal from overseas to Japan. Japan's technologies are particularly excellent in the field of deep underground mining and safety training systems, and JCOAL is proactively promoting the transfer of these technologies.

1)Training in Japan for Visiting Engineers
Every year, JCOAL accepts more than 160 coal engineers, etc. in the managing position from China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and provides training on management, mining, safety, machinery and electric facilities at the mine site, Kushiro Coal Mine and Coal Mining Technology Training Center, thereby promoting technology transfer from person to person.

2)Training Overseas by Japanese Engineers
JCOAL conducts seminar-style training in China with Japanese coal mining specialists as lecturers. In Vietnam and Indonesia, such coal mining specialists are dispatched to conduct on-site training.

Training in Japan and Overseas: 11-year Accumulation from FY 2002 to FY 2012

(2)Clean Coal Technology (CCT) Transfer Project

In order to transfer Japan's excellent CCT to developing countries in Asia to promote wider use, JCOAL since fiscal 1996 invited engineers in the power generation and other coal user industries and government officials from eight countries (China, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Mongol) to Japan and gave trainings including lectures and on-site visits. By fiscal 2009, a total of over 1,000 trainees from the eight countries participated in the program.
From fiscal 2010, JCOAL has also been dispatching Japanese experts to overseas to provide training and promote technology exchanges with focus on high-efficiency coal thermal power generation technologies, and over 1,300 engineers and others have participated in the seminars held locally. The target countries include four Asian countries (Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Thailand) as well as Poland in Eastern Europe, as these countries are most likely to introduce supercritical (SC) and ultra-supercritical (USC) coal fired power generation technologies that Japanese companies have.
Participants in these trainings and technology exchanges form the basis for JCOAL and member companies to establish human networks, and proactive participation of member companies and others has contributed to export of Japanese technologies.

2.Efficiency and Environmental Improvement of Coal-fired Power Plants through Diagnosis

In the Asia Pacific region and particularly in Asia, demand for coal has been surging. In these countries, sustainable and efficient coal utilization with focus on environmental compliance is a pressing issue. JCOAL has been engaged in programs for efficient and environmentally compliant utilization of coal through applicable CCT introduction with focus on diagnostic activities, through which sustainable coal supply is to be achieved.
Diagnosis were performed by Japanese experts to coal-fired power plants in China, India and Indonesia , based on the result of which a proposal for n improvement of thermal efficiency of existing thermal power plants and reduction in SOx and NOx emissions were prepared for each diagnosed facility for further action.. Technology and knowledge sharing events were held in connection with such diagnostic activities, so that the effect of diagnosis will be fully utilized with more inputs through interactive exchanges by relevant stakeholders.
In fiscal 2013, JCOAL engages in follow-up activities such as facilitation of application of the proposed measures with appropriate technologies that were proposed under the diagnosis.

3.Projects for Promotion of Coal Washing Technologies

JCOAL is building a 400 tons/hour variable-wave jig in the State of Odisha, India, as a coal washing model project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The project is intended to promote introduction of variable-wave jigs in India, as there are many government-owned and private companies planning to build new coal washing plants across India. JCOAL intends to enhance the cooperative efforts to promote the variable waveform jigs in India as the type of jig most suitable for washing of fuel coal of India.