1.   Introduction

Initially the reader is referred to Combustion File 177 for an overview of [GLOSS]coal[/GLOSS], coal age and [GLOSS]coal rank[/GLOSS]. In Combustion File 178, an overview is given of the global proven coal reserves at the end of 2001, along with global statistics of coal production and consumption in 2001.

In this Combustion File, more detailed information is given of the national proven reserves and production in the Asia Pacific Region.

Further a brief summary is given of the geographical distribution of the known coal deposits in the Asia Pacific Region along with a regional commentary of the coal types/ranks available.

2.   Reserves and production data

The estimated national proven reserves of coal in the Asia Pacific Region at the end of 2001 are presented in Table 1.

Table 2 shows the overall national production data in 2001 for the Asia Pacific Region and the number of year of reserves available if this production rate were maintained.

 

Country [all data in million tonnes]	[GLOSS]Bituminous coal[/GLOSS] and [GLOSS]Anthracite[/GLOSS]	[GLOSS]Sub-bituminous coal[/GLOSS] and [GLOSS]Lignite[/GLOSS]	Total Proven Reserves
Australia	42 550	39 540	82 090
China	62 200	52 300	114 500
India	82 396	2 000	84 396
Indonesia	790	4 580	5 370
Japan	773	–	773
New Zealand	33	539	572
North Korea	300	300	600
Pakistan	–	2 265	2 265
South Korea	78	–	78
Other Asia Pacific	227	1 600	1 827
Total Asia Pacific Region	189 347	103 124	292 471

Table 1: Proven national coal reserves in the Asia Pacific Region at end of 2001
[Source: BP statistical review of world energy 2002]

Notes to Table 1
Proven reserves of coal – Generally taken to be those quantities that geological and engineering information indicates with reasonable certainty can be recovered in the future from known deposits under existing economic and operating conditions.

Country	Total Production in 2001 [million tonnes]	Reserves/Production ratio [Years] of Reserves
Australia	315	261
China	1 089.7	105
India	343.5	246
Indonesia	92.6	58
Japan	3.2	242
New Zealand	4.1	140
Pakistan	3.3	686
South Korea	3.8	21
Other Asia Pacific	132.1	14
Total Asia Pacific Region	1 987.3	147

Table 2: Total national coal production in the Asia Pacific Region in 2001
[Source: BP statistical review of world energy 2002]

Notes to Table 2
Reserves/Production (R/P) ratio – If the reserves remaining at the end of the year are divided by the production in that year, the result is the length of time that those remaining reserves would last if production were to continue at that level.

 

3                  Qualitative overview of coal available nationally and regionally in the Asia Pacific Region

In the following paragraphs, reserves of coal will frequently be described in terms of their geological age. In “CF177 What is coal?” the general relationship between geological age and coal rank was described in tabular form. This Table is reproduced below as an aid to reader in assessing the available coal reserve descriptions below.

 

ERA	PERIOD	MEAN AGE OF COAL	TYPE OF COAL FORMED
[GLOSS]Palaeozoic[/GLOSS] (Lower)	[GLOSS]Devonian[/GLOSS]	380M years	[GLOSS]Cannel coal[/GLOSS] of the Artic
Palaezoic (Upper)	[GLOSS]Carboniferous[/GLOSS]	300M years	Anthracite and Bituminous coal
	[GLOSS]Permian[/GLOSS]	245M years	Bituminous
[GLOSS]Mesozoic[/GLOSS]	[GLOSS]Triassic[/GLOSS]	200M years	Bituminous
	[GLOSS]Jurassic[/GLOSS]	160M years	Bituminous
	[GLOSS]Cretaceous[/GLOSS]	120M years	Sub-bituminous coal
[GLOSS]Cenozoic[/GLOSS]	[GLOSS]Tertiary[/GLOSS]	60-30M years	[GLOSS]Lignite[/GLOSS]
	[GLOSS]Quaternary[/GLOSS]	<1M years	[GLOSS]Peat[/GLOSS]

Table  3: Geological ages and main coal formation periods

The inclusion of Peat as a type of coal is almost universal and therefore a class of Fossil Fuel – see CF84.

3.1           Australia

Australia contains coals of the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic age.

The Palaeozoic coals are located on the western and eastern sides of the continent. Some Mesozoic coals are found in Queensland and an important deposit of Cenozoic coal is found in Victoria.

The Palaeozoic coals are preserved in a series of basins, the principal ones being the Collie and Fitzroy basins in Western Australia, The Bowen and Galilee basins in Queensland, and the Sydney basin in New South Wales. Other smaller deposits are known in South Australia and Tasmania.

The New South Wales region is the most important coal producing area in Australia, with seams of high volatile coal up to up to 10m in thickness.

The Bowen basin of Queensland has also been extensively explored and mined with seam of good quality high volatile bituminous coals with seams up to 30m in thickness.

The Mesozoic coals of southeast Queensland have not been extensively developed.

The Tertiary (Cenozoic) coals of Victoria in the Gippsland basin are thick developments of lignite with seams up to 300m in thickness. The most important area is the Latrobe Valley. This lignite is used exclusively for the Victorian power industry.

3.2   China

China possesses enormous resources of coal of all ranks.

The main producing coalfields are in the eastern half of China stretching from the far north to the southern border. In the north, Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sediments are preserved mined by traditional underground, and more increasingly opencast techniques. The principal areas are Kirin, Heilungkiang, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Shansi and Hopeth.

The rank of coal is predominantly bituminous with some anthracite and brown coal.

The Northern areas contain high volatile bituminous coal and the coalfields of the Liaoning region have seams some over 100m in thickness.

Inner Mongolia, Shansi and Hopeth contain various coalfields containing low volatile bituminous coals and anthracite.

Eastern central china contains the coal mining districts of Shantung, Shensi, Honan and Hupeh. Much of these coals are export quality, high volatile bituminous, coals.

In South-eastern China, the regions of Kweichow and Yunnan have deposits of low volatile bituminous coals. An exception to most of the Chinese coal deposits is in the extreme north west of the country where large deposits of low volatile bituminous and sub bituminous coals are found in the Sinkiang-Uighur region.

 

3.3   India

Palaezoic [GLOSS]Gondwana[/GLOSS] bituminous coals are found in India, as are Mesozoic coals. Cenozoic coals are found all over the region.

In the main area of India, coal resources are of Palaeozoic and Cenozoic (Tertiary) Age. About 98% of India’s coal reserves are of Gondwanaland coal, which account for 95% of production chiefly used for power generation and in the metallurgical industries.

These coals are found mainly in the eastern and central eastern states of Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa, with the main coalfields being Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro, Ramgarth, Karanpura, Singrauli and Bisrampur, Pench-Kanhan-Tawa, Godavari and Talchir. Numerous other smaller coalfields exist in the region. A seam discovered in the Singrauli coalfield is 134m thick.

These coals tend to be high ash and range from low to high-volatile bituminous and are not highly [GLOSS]tectonised[/GLOSS].

Tertiary coals are found in the mountainous regions of north India mainly in the Makum coalfield in Assam. These coals are highly tectonised and range from sub-bituminous to high-volatile bituminous with variable ash content.

Tertiary lignites are found in the south of the country mainly at Neyveli and are used for power generation.

 

3.4   Indonesia

Indonesian coals are of the Tertiary age and are situated on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya. Ranks range from lignite to low volatile bituminous.

Coals are mined by the opencast method on the island of Sumatra. These coals are generally sub-bituminous with some high volatile bituminous coals found in the centre of the island.

The main coalfields are at Bukit Asam and the coals tend to be sub-bituminous. These coals are mainly used for power generation and cement manufacture.

On the island of Borneo, coal is found in Kalimantan; in the south, sub-bituminous and in the east, bituminous, mainly in the Sonata and Beau areas. Much of this coal is exported.

Large deposits of peat have been discovered in west Kalimantan but have not been commercially developed.

Sub-bituminous coals are found in South Sulawesi and Java and are mined for local needs.

 

3.5   Japan

Japanese coal deposits are widespread and range from Permian to Tertiary in age. Productive coals are Tertiary and principal deposits are located on the islands of Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu.

Hokkaido Island produces bituminous coals.

On the island of Honshu, the Joan coalfield, much of which extends offshore, produces good quality bituminous coals whereas the Omnie coalfield produces anthracite for Japanese industry. Other numerous coalfields are worked on a small scale. In the north of Honshu lignite is produced in the coalfields of Mogami, Nishitagwa and Miyagi.

On the island of Kyushu, bituminous coal in mined in the Miike coalfield, mainly offshore. Numerous smaller coalfields containing bituminous coals and lignites are worked on a small scale.

 

3.6   New Zealand

All significant coals in New Zealand are of the Cretaceous-Tertiary periods and consist of sub-bituminous coals and some high-volatile bituminous coal and lignite.

On the North Island, the Waikato region contains the majority of New Zealand’s sub-bituminous coal reserves. Coals are low ash and seams can be up to 30m thick. Also on the North Island, the Taranaki region also contains smaller reserves of sub-bituminous coals.

On the South Island, the coalfields of Otago, Southland and Kaitangata are located in the far south. In the northwest, in the Westland coal region, the coalfields of Pike River, Charlston, Buller, Reefton, Greymouth and Collingwood exist. Coals range from sub-bituminous to high-volatile bituminous with small deposits of lignite.

Coal production in New Zealand is relatively small.

 

3.7   Pakistan

All the principal coalfields in Pakistan are of Tertiary age and consist of sub-bituminous coals and some lignite, although some Paleozoic and Mezozoic coals are found.

The coals of the Indus basin at Hyderabad, Quetta-Kalat and Salt Range-Makerwal are the primary coals of economic interest.

The main coalfields are at Lakhra, Sonda-Thatta, Meting-Shimpir and Sor Range-Daghari; Khost Sharig-Harnia and Duki-Chamalang, East, West and Central Salt Range and Makerwal in the coalfields of Hyderabad, Quetta-Kalat and Salt Range-Makerwal respectively.

Overall production is generally small and used for power generation.

 

3.8   South Korea

Coals of Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cainozoic age are present throughout the Korean peninsula.

The principal Palaeozoic coalfields are Samcheong, Jeongseon, Kangnung, Danyang and Mungyeong. All the coal is anthracite.

Mesozoic coals (Jurassic) are found in Mungyeong; again these are anthracites due to extensive geological changes.

Small deposits of lignite are found on the south-east coast. Again most coal is deep mined.

 

3.9   Other Asia Pacific

Afganistan contains Meszoic Jurassic bituminous coals in the north and is mined for local use only.

Bangladesh contains Gondwana bituminous coals and lignites. Coals in Bangladesh have not yet been developed to any degree.

Meszoic Jurassic bituminous coals are found in Iran with the principal coalfields being at Elburz and Khorasan in the north and Kerman in central Iran. Coal is used for local needs and the metallurgical industry.

Palaezoic, Mesozoic and Cainozoic coals are found in Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Tiawan, Thialand and Vietnam. The development of coalfields in these countries is variable, being used for power generation, the metallurgical industries and local use dependent on country.

In North Korea, coals are of similar age as in South Korea (See 3.8 above). The principal coalfields are Pyongyang in the north and Kowon-Muchon in the east. Bituminous coals and anthracite is present.

The Cenozoic coalfields contain sub bituminous coals and lignites and are found chiefly in the northeast of the country in the coalfields at Kyongsang and Kilchu/Myongchong.  Most coal is deep mined.

4.   Further national/regional information

Other world regions – the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and the Former Soviet Union are dealt with separately in Combustion Files 192-195 inclusive.

Acknowledgements

Our acknowledgements and thanks are due to BP for the concise and clear information made openly available in their review of world energy.

Sources

BP statistical review of world energy 2002
http://www.bp.com/centres/energy2002/index.asp

Source of reserves data – World Energy Council

Walker, S. Major Coalfields of the World. IEA Coal Research, 2000, ISBN 92-9029-342-X

Thomas, L. Practical Coal Geology, John Wiley and Sons, 1992, ISBN 0-471-93557-3