5th European Coal Conference

September 17-19, 2002 -- Mons-Frameries, Belgium

Final Circular

FNRS (French Community)

Final Circular

Practical information

ECC5 is organised on behalf of the European Coal Geology Group, an informal association, grown out of the British Coal Geology Group, uniting academics and applied scientists and technicians. Geographical range extends towards Turkey and Central Asia.

ECC5 is traditionally focused on geology of coal deposits, with special attention to environmental issues. As the mining industry has closed in some countries and is in struggle for survival in others, special attention will paid to problems and opportunities related to mine closure and to the continuing importance of coal for the energy supply of Europe. The role of coal in greenhouse gas emissions, and the opportunities for underground sequestration of CO2 with enhanced methane recovery is receiving appropriate attention.

Previous conferences

Leicester (UK) 1993 / Prague (Tchec Republic) 1995 / Izmir (Turkey) 1997 / Ustron (Poland) 2000

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conditions and constraints on coal formation

mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic characterisation of coal and coal gas

burial history, coal maturation and gas generation, basin modelling

forecast of coal use in Europe

considering coal seams as tight reservoirs for Enhanced Coalbed Methane Production and CO₂-sequestration

new techniques for coal prospecting and evaluation

archieving clean coal standards

improving mining output

coal and coal derivatives properties

serving our clients: comparison of domestic and imported coal

forced closures - will there be enough coal to meet electricity demands?

Coal Bed Methane / Coal Mine Methane recovery / CO₂-sequestration

abandonment policies vs. future utilisation of mining sites

underground workings as part of the industrial heritage

environmental impact of mining and mine closure

coal mining waste and coal gas turned into an asset

conflicts of interest : natural gas storage, greenhouse gas sequestration or waste disposal in collieries

storage opportunities

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 ‘Role of coal in the 21^st century energy supply of Europe’

 ‘Coal import coal in Europe as a substitute for domestic coals’ (F. Oeyen, Carbomet inc.)

 ‘Zero emission from coal combustions' (Ph. Mathieu, Uiv. Liège)

 ‘Coal as source rock for greenhouse gas sequestration’ (J. Gale, IEA-GHG R&D Programme)

 ‘Managing the aftermath of underground coal mining: the northern France case’ (F. Meilliez, Univ. Lille)

 ‘Mining history and post-mining development of the Crachet colliery –

Parc d’Aventures Scientifiques in Frameries’ (X. Devleeschouwer, Geological Survey of Belgium)

- 17:30-18:30 guided tour of PASS (free access for the duration of the conference)

Improving international cooperation; roundtable, conclusions and discussions about next conference organisation

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Visit to Hambach open pit mine near Jülich (Germany)

Excursion leaders: Dr Prüfert, GD NRW Krefeld, Dr B. Wutzler, Rheinbraun Bergheim

• max 23 participants
• 8:30 departure from Mons (bus)
• 11:30 arrival at Kasino Niederzier: introduction to the Lower Rhine lignite deposit, lunch offered by Rheinbraun and visit to fossil collection
• 14:30 viewpoints and descent in Hambach open pit
• 16:30 return to Mons
• 19:30 arrival in Mons
• Price 32 €

Topics : underground quarrying, phosphate production, Cretaceous stratigraphy and tectonics, mining collapse

Excursion leader: F. Leclercq, asbl La Malogne

• Conditions: located at 3 km from Mons, transport by shuttle bus from and to Mons
• max 25 participants with field outfit
• Duration 3 hours (morning activity), 9:00-12:00
• Price 8 € (no lunch packet provided)

Excursion leaders: F. Oeyen, Carbomet - QCRI

• max 25 participants
• 8:30 departure from Mons (bus)
• 10:00 arrival at Carbomet coal handling plant : guided tour with visit to Vloeberghs laboratory
• 12:30 sandwich lunch discussion on coal quality and clients requirements, the viewpoint of a coal trader
• 13 :30 free afternoon in Antwerp, return to Mons with possibility to leave at Brussels, or transfer to Excursion 3b (visit Beringen colliery)
• Price 20 € (afternoon activities not included)

Excursion 3b Friday, September 20th: mining heritage in Belgium:

Topics: descent in the Blegny tourist mine, Liège coal field, and the development of a new museum site at the colliery of Beringen, Campine coal field (east Belgium)

• 8:30 departure from Mons,
• 10:30 visit Blegny underground tourist mine
• 13:00 lunch at Blegny
• 14:00 departure for Beringen
• 15:00 arrival at Beringen colliery: guided tour of Flemish Mining Museum
• 17:30 return to Mons
• 19:30 arrival in Mons, with possibility to leave at Brussels
• Price 40 €

• max 25 participants
• 8:30 departure from Mons (bus)
• 10:00 arrival at Carbomet coal handling plant : guided tour with visit to Vloeberghs laboratory
• 12:30 sandwich lunch discussion on coal quality and clients requirements, the viewpoint of a coal trader
• 15:00 arrival at Beringen colliery: guided tour of Flemish Mining Museum
• 17:30 return to Mons
• 19:30 arrival in Mons, with possibility to leave at Brussels
• Price 45 €

Excursion leaders: Alain Rorive (FPMS), Francis Meilliez (Univ. Lille), Richard Laganier (Univ. Lille)

• 8:30 departure from Mons (bus)
• morning: visits to Saint Ghislain geothermal plant, Baudour tunnels, Grand Hornu mining site, Belgian treatment of flooding risk in the Haine valley
• lunch in Centre d'Amaury in Hergnies (France)
• afternoon: waterflow and accidental flooding, soil pollutions, management of a frontier- crossing river, risk assessment of further subsidence; Ledoux mining site and Condé-sur- Escaut town
• 17:30 excursion ends in Mons
• Price 23 €

As no particular requests were received, no accompanying persons programme will be organised. However, the conference secretariat will be helpful in providing information on tourist attractions and historic cities to be visited during the conference. Accompanying persons can participate in excursions and conference activities at cost (PASS access badge € 12,20, PASS buffet lunch € 11, banquet € 30).

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• 25 minutes with 5 minutes for discussion for keynote lectures
• 15 minutes with 5 minutes for discussion for other communications

• Special poster session planned. Poster dimensions 0,8 m width by 1,4 m height.
• Technical posters by companies or institutions are also welcomed.

1 page abstracts for both presentations and posters, with title, authors, addresses, text of maximum 300 words.

The Organising Committee will decide which paper can be presented orally or as a poster. Posters will have the same status as the oral in the published proceedings.

To the participants, a preliminary alphabetical list of the contents
as well as the preliminary programme of the conference, are now accessible on the net.
Please note that possible changes could occur until the beginning of the conference.

Papers and posters presented at the Conference and accepted by the Organising Committee will be published in the Conference Proceedings. Manuscripts must be submitted to the Conference secretariat before 31 october 2002. Max 8 printed pages (extra pages and excessive costs for illustrations are at charge of the authors). Papers have to be submitted electronically and will be reviewed. Instructions to authors are those of Geologica Belgica (see website or available on request). Proceedings will be published either as a Memoir of the Geological Survey of Belgium or as a thematic volume of Geologica Belgica, depending on the nature of the manuscripts. Participants to the conference will be informed about the publication date and can obtain copies at reduced rates.

The official language of the conference is English.

ECC5 will be held at the PASS (Parc d’Aventures Scientifiques), the historical mining site of the Crachet colliery in the Borinage coal field, located at 6 km from the city centre of Mons. For more information: mons (in French) or unofficial English translation of tourist attractions.

Mine shaft photography © 2002 - PASS, Brigitte Dewandre

The historic city of Mons (Bergen) is the capital of the Hainaut province (SW Belgium), formerly county of Hainault extending into the Nord - Pas-de-Calais region of France. During 2 centuries, Mons has been a centre of mining. The city hosts the Mons Polytechnical Faculty.

Click for a detailed location of the:

• Mons city centre
• Access to the PASS (Scientific Adventure Park)

• Car: Mons is easily accessible by highway E19 from Brussels (56 km) and Amsterdam (230 km), E42 east from Cologne/Köln (220 km) and west from Lille (87 km) A2 from Paris (220 km), A25 from Calais-Eurotunnel.
• Train: direct trains from Brussels (2 to 5 trains per hour between 6:00 and 23:00 for € 6,80) THALYS coming from Paris, Amsterdam or Cologne and EUROSTAR coming from Lille and London: change at Brussels-Midi or Lille-Euralille. Connection to Paris-Nord also via Saint-Quentin, Aulnoye, Maubeuge. Connection to Lille by the line Lille-Tournai-Brussels and change in Tournai.
• Air: Brussels airport (Zaventem) is connected to the Brussels railway stations (4 trains per hour between 6:00 and 23:00). Charleroi (Brussels-South) airport near E42 highway and railway line Liège-Mons. Lille (Lesquin) airport is also located near E42 highway.

Lodging is foreseen in the city centre of Mons and will be directly at charge of the participants. There are two possibilities, either in a youth hostel or in a hotel (see website in French language http://www.mons.be/mons.asp and click on ‘ville de Mons’ ‘tourisme’ ‘où loger’ ‘hôtels’). We can recommend the following hotels in the city centre of Mons:

• at moderate price range (€ 30 single to 55 double) with limited capacity, Hotel St Georges, http://www.saintgeorges.be, Mail: info@saintgeorges.be; fax +32 65 318671
• at average price range (€ 67 single to 82 double) with limited capacity,
  • Hotel Saint James, Mail: hotelstjames@hotmail.com; fax +32 65 724811.
  • Infotel, Mail: syc@infonie.be; fax +32 65 356224
• at higher price range (€ 85 single to 113 double) with ample capacity, Hotel Le Lido, Mail: info@lido.be; fax +32 65843722.

For participants who fail to make bookings, the conference secretariat can intervene but then also request a caution of 50€.

A brand new youth hostel (Auberge de Jeunesse du Beffroi) in the city centre of Mons can accommodate participants for € 14,50 for bed and breakfast, but only in rooms with 4 beds (see: http://www.laj.be and search for Mons). For practical reasons booking of the youth hostel should pass through the conference secretariat. A caution of € 50 should be paid beforehand with the inscription fee.

A shuttle bus will be organised between the railway station and/or the hotels and the conference centre.

As over most of western Europe, weather in September can be both sunny and warm (temperature about 20°C) and rainy and cold (temperature about 10°C).

• Participant: 200 €

Registration fees do not include transport to and from Mons, hotel accommodation and Proceedings. They include the abstracts volume, 50 author’s reprints of the papers published in the Proceedings, full access to the PASS with lunch and refreshments during the conference and a banquet.

• Excursions
• 1. Lower Rhine lignite (Germany): 40 €
• 2. La Malogne underground quarry: 8 €
• 3a. Antwerp coal handling: 20 €
• 3b. Mining heritage Belgium: 40 €
• 3c. Combination Antwerp – Campine: 45 €
• 4. Mining heritage and mining aftermath Belgium-France: 23 €
• Lodging youth hostel or hotel booking: caution 50 €

Visit our web site: http://ibelgique.ifrance.com/Geoindec/eurocoal/ecc5.htm. Additional information by contact point or conference secretariat.

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