Coal’s long route to the power station
How does coal get to the power station – especially if it has to take the long route from South Africa. The answer lies in a cleverly devised piece of logistics. And the experts at RAG Trading GmbH know how to organise the necessary rail and shipping schedules.
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| Steag plant at Iskenderun |
Parktown, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African Representative Office of RAG Trading is located on the first floor of the Parktown Office Suites.itz. Dave Trennery is the office chief. ‘The contact for coal from the Cape’ would sound good – but it would not be correct, for South Africa’s coalfields lie to the north-east of the country nearly 2,000 kilometres from the Cape of Good Hope. For 16 years Trennery RAG Tradings has been the key link with the South African Mining industry. He watches the market, forges and maintains contacts with the mining companies and shipping ports, brings in business and handles the export accounts. He therefore has access to information that is vital not just for RAG Trading but also for the parent company STEAG. It is likely that Dave Trennery’s workload will increase in the years ahead. Coal mining is one of South Africa’s most important industries – along with platinum and gold mining, though the latter is now in decline. Coal is also the country’s main source of energy and almost all the power stations are sited close to the coalfields. Read more
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Source:
Folio, the RAG staff magazine, 8/2007
