US miner’s chairperson elected to chair IEA’s Coal Industry Advisory Board
US coal exploration and mining company Ramaco Resources chairperson and CEO Randall W Atkins has been elected to serve as chairperson of the International Energy Agency's (IEA's) Coal Industry Advisory Board (CIAB), based in Paris, France.
Atkins was elected for the chairmanship by a unanimous vote of both the CIAB executive committee and its full membership, reflecting the CIAB’s strong support for his leadership and experience in the international coal, energy and critical minerals sectors, Ramaco states.
The CIAB brings together senior leaders from the global coal, power and critical mineral industries to provide industry perspectives and advice to the IEA on issues involving coal, energy security, power, technology, markets, critical minerals and related governmental policy.
“I am deeply honoured by the confidence of my CIAB colleagues and especially grateful for their unanimous support to work with them advising the IEA on matters of importance to our industry. The world has entered a period in which energy, power, electrification and mineral security are both intertwined and of increasingly vital importance.
“Coal must continue to play its historically essential role in global steelmaking and energy production. At the same time, new technologies are also creating opportunities for coal to serve as a source of rare earths and critical minerals, as well as a feedstock for higher-value advanced carbon products. I keenly look forward to working with the IEA and my colleagues on the CIAB to advance a thoughtful discussion about coal’s evolving role and its continued critical importance in the energy dialogue,” comments Atkins.