Finding the balance for an energy-secure world through coal

Disruptive Discussions at the 30th annual Mining in Africa Indaba conference highlighted the importance of embracing innovative thinking to help us cope with a rapidly changing world.

At the conference, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel on finding the balance for an energy-secure world through coal. I was joined on stage by Council for Geoscience CEO Mosa Mabuza, Future Coal CEO Michelle Manook, Exxaro CEO Dr Nombasa Tsengwa, and Coal India Limited Director Shri Satish Jha. The panel focused on being solution-driven and moving beyond having pointless arguments about the need for coal. The world needs coal today and will continue to need it for the foreseeable future.

I opened the session by outlining the paradigm shifts in the global energy sector, pointing out that manufacturing is becoming increasingly automated due to 4IR. Machines, in some instances, have replaced humans. The world’s manufacturing giant, China, can no longer rely on cheap labour while its workforce is ageing. This has resulted in labour shortages, making automation an attractive option to keep the industrial value chain viable.

Due to factors like automation, industrialisation of emerging economies, and population growth, we expect energy demand to grow worldwide. According to the International Energy Agency, energy consumption will increase by 1.8% in 2024, up from just 1.2% in 2023. Growth will be supported by solid demand in Asia, where consumption is expected to expand by 3.1%.

Moreover, there is a paradigm shift when it comes to green policies. Western nations are looking to revive their manufacturing industries and have begun to realise that highly restrictive environmental policies could stand in the way. People are also starting to challenge the views of green lobbyists instead of accepting them as undisputable truths. These shifts are unsettling and disruptive enough to force us to devise proper solutions for an energy-secure future involving coal.

View the presentation below: