Overview


investment (EROI). EROI is the ratio of acquired usable energy from a particular source to the amount of energy required to produce this energy. Coal’s high EROI is expected to maintain this elevated level, especially as energy providers improve their systems to minimize the environmental impact of burning thermal coal. Likewise, uranium also maintains high EROI levels, which is expected to help support demand for uranium mining operations. While these commodities can impact the environment, the energy they provide is projected to remain essential to the US energy sector. One of the primary factors influencing the Coal Mining


industry (IBISWorld report 21211) is the increase in domestic natural gas production. However, the US continues to operate with excess electricity generating capacity, as the negative im- pacts of the recession have yet to be fully reversed. Combined with high levels of natural gas production, this excess capacity has placed pressure on the price of natural gas. Furthermore, the increasing environmental focus on coal-powered electric- ity generation is expected to cause natural gas to account for a larger share of total energy consumption. According to the EIA, natural gas is expected to account for 30% of primary energy consumption in the United States in 2040, up from 27% in 2012. Tis increase is expected to come at the expense of petroleum product energy consumption. Nevertheless, coal is expected to constitute a major role in global energy markets over the five years to 2019. IBISWorld


14 Energy Manufacturing 2014


expects that mining machinery manufacturers will continue to offer high value-added products to mining companies during the next five years, especially as environmental con- cerns weigh on downstream sectors. Te high cost of mining operations ensures that demand for improving machinery technology will remain elevated over this period. While the Coal Mining industry is not expected to reach prerecession revenue levels, demand for mining machinery will continue to be strong as mining companies continue to seek ways to lower the high costs of extraction.


Fukushima Daiichi and Uranium Mining Safety is of paramount importance in nuclear power gen-


eration, and the events that took place at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011 brought this issue into the global spot- light. In response to this disaster, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) identified several tiers of requirements, ranging from Tier 1 (highest priority) to Tier 3 (pending the outcome of Tier 1 implementations). Tier 1 requirements include immediate safety enhancements to nuclear plants. Additionally, the nuclear industry has implemented a flexible response strategy known as “FLEX.” Tis strategy is intended to equip nuclear plants with diversely located equipment to ensure flexibility in the case of an emergency. Additionally, the nuclear energy industry has been developing regional critical equipment centers that would be capable of delivering


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