Market / Transportation Studies

Despite constantly fluctuating mineral or coal mining markets, BOYD consultants' market assessments and projections for coal, lime, limestone, minerals, and transportation are accepted by clients as accurate bases for their long-range business plans.

As experienced mining consultants, BOYD mineral or coal market studies examine such factors as: economics, product quality, supply/demand, and transportation and equipment options.

The John T. Boyd Annual Publication - US CoalVision 2010 leverages John T. Boyd Company’s substantial understanding of US Coal mines and markets by combining the collective insights gained from decades of mining and market experience with a flexible, databased modeling approach.

Supply issues incorporated in the analysis include: future levels of coal mine productivity, regional mining costs, new mine development and corresponding lead times, capital investment requirements for increased production capacity, reserve availability, transportation costs, and the potential for coal imports.

Coal demand issues include: environmental compliance strategies at existing coal-fired power plants, the likely impacts of energy policies, and the future requirements for new coal-fired generation capacity

Databases. Models. Reputation.

As experienced mining consultants, our mineral or coal market projections are unique because they develop from a proprietary model for simulating mining costs. The model-based on our experience in preparing mineral or coal mining feasibility studies, monitoring tonnage on a routine basis, and performing cost studies for existing mines-can be customized to meet the specific criteria of each mining project.

This experience base of marketplace information benefits clients who use BOYD mining consultants to project short- and long-range mining industry trends.

BOYD consultants' studies have been used to evaluate the economics of various clean air regulation compliance strategies-fuel switching, scrubbing, and blending.

Mineral and Coal Market Analysis

• Availability of Mineral or Coal-Specific Quality Reserves
• Mineral or Coal Supply and Demand by Market
• Cost of Production
• Mineral of Coal Market Price
• Equipment Utilization
• Transportation Alternatives
• Impact of Legislation on Mineral or Coal Markets
• Effects of Fuel Purchasing Strategies-duration of contracts, spot to contract ratio, partnering strategies under utility deregulation, effects of electric futures and other mineral or coal market derivatives.

Transportation Services

As foremost mining consultants, BOYD has assisted domestic and international producers and consumers in developing strategic transport plans and evaluating preferred options for the transport of bulk commodities.

Our knowledgeable consultant staff will provide consulting services to determine delivery options, negotiate contracts, study port facilities and inland terminals, devise electric utility management strategies, develop price forecasts, and examine ocean transport logistics and alternatives.

Transportation Services

• Identification of preferred delivery options (rail, barge, truck, or intermodal).
• Development and negotiation of contract terms and conditions.
• Analysis of tidewater port facilities and inland barge terminals.
• Management strategies in a deregulated US electric market.
• Price forecasts.
• Evaluation of ocean shipping alternatives and transport logistics.

Example Projects Include:

• Completed a market analysis of coke facilities in the US and developed forecasts for coke production and pricing. Included in our study was an analysis of:
  
  
  • Potential to import additional quantities of coke into the US.
  • Effect of pulverized coal injection (PCI) on future coal production and metallurgical coal output in the US.
  • Effect of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 on future coke battery operations.
  • Future metallurgical coal production and pricing.
  
  
  
• Evaluated current and future market conditions for low volatile metallurgical coal production. Provided an overview of existing world market conditions for metallurgical coal. Our assignment also included providing:
  
  
  • Demand and trends in primary market-consuming countries.
  • Information on low volatile producers in the US, Australia, and Canada.
  • An opinion on positive and negative issues affecting the low volatile metallurgical coal market.
  • Customer profiles for select end-users of low volatile metallurgical coal.
  • A forecast of US metallurgical coal prices.
  
  
  
• Completed an overview of a limestone operation which included an analysis of the crushed stone market in the central Pennsylvania region and addressed the competitive position of the operation. Reviewed production capacity and sales potential, and commented on pricing for limestone.



• Prepared an overview of natural gas, lignite and coal demand for the US domestic market. Overview considered issues such as fuel cost, price volatility, supply sources, and future demand.



• Completed a review of a Colombian operation and evaluated transport requirements to haul 10.0 million tonnes of coal to port facilities. Examined plans for the following:
  
  
  • Coal handling and transport flow to move coal from the mine to port.
  • Existing rail construction plans including an evaluation of terrain, crossing locations, overpasses, etc.
  • Rolling stock.
  • Power.
  • Support equipment and facilities (i.e., maintenance and fueling facilities).
  • Rail/barge transportation facility.
    
    Reviewed conceptual layouts, system components, and size and cost estimates for rail transportation facilities.
  
  
  
• Conducted a world coal transportation study evaluating costs to import coal for use at select coal-fired generating stations. Examined ocean transport costs and routing for delivering coal to the US from Colombia, Republic of South Africa, Poland, Australia, and Canada. Evaluated deliveries in both Panamax and Capesize oceangoing vessels.



• Evaluated the operation of a major east coast US export facility. This terminal is used to export coal to various countries and is one of the largest facilities in the world with a capacity of approximately 22 million tons per year. BOYD reviewed various aspects of the terminal including:
  
  
  • Coal delivery system.
  • Stockpile area.
  • Rotary car dumpers and discharge facilities.
  • Bucket wheel stacker reclaimers.
  • Belt conveyor system.
  • Shiploaders and related facilities.
  
  
  
• Reviewed and assessed the operations of two river barge facilities located along the Big Sandy River and one located along the Kanawha River. Two terminals were exclusively truck to barge with the third a truck/rail to barge facility. BOYD's assignment was to:
  
  
  • Develop an asset appraisal of the facilities.
  • Comment on the efficiency of the operations.
  • Benchmark operating cost with similar facilities located in the US

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