ABSTRACT

Coal plays a pivotal role in sustainable development. It is the most widely used energy source for electricity generation and an essential input to most steel production. Total global coal resources are estimated at 11,000 billion tons [1], out of which extractable reserves are 909 billion tonnes, less than 10% of the total coal resources. A resource is the occurrence in the earth’s crust. A reserve is a mineable part of a resource that is extractable with existing technology.