CIAB Award presented to Dr Kelly Thambimuthu by CIAB Chairman Mr Preston Chiaro

The IEA Coal Industry Advisory Board (CIAB) Coal Award was presented to Dr Kelly Thambimuthu by CIAB Chairman Mr Preston Chiaro (Chief Executive – Energy, Rio Tinto) at a dinner hosted in Paris by Mr Claude Mandil, IEA Executive Director on 2 November 2006.

The CIAB, which brings its advice to the IEA on all coal-related matters, created the Award for Sustainable Development to recognise and celebrate work which enhances the sustainability of coal as a contributor to world energy resources. Dr Thambimuthu has earned the award for his contributions to the development of clean coal technologies, most recently with a focus on the low emission technologies needed to stem rising carbon dioxide emissions from the growing use of fossil fuels, including coal.

Dr Thambimuthu is Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Low Emission Technology (cLET) in Queensland, Australia and has a wealth of experience and knowledge having worked in the field of clean coal technology for over twenty-five years. He is highly respected by governments and research organisations throughout the world. His ongoing commitment to the environment includes other roles such as: Chairman since 1995 of the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, the leading group evaluating options to achieve deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil energy use; and as an editorial panel member and coordinating lead author since 2002 of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) committee formed to write a special report on CO2 Capture and Storage as a climate change mitigation option. Before joining cLET in 2004, Dr Thambimuthu worked with CANMET Energy Technology Centre in Ottawa, Canada. While there, he worked with industry, universities and government on energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sectors. Dr Thambimuthu holds degrees at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate levels in chemical engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK, McGill University, Canada and the University of Cambridge, UK.

Mr Chiaro said the CIAB recognises Dr Thambimuthu’s distinguished work on coal, energy and broader climate issues. “He has demonstrated leadership in coal-related research and development”, said Mr Chiaro, “his work in both Canada and Australia has been of international significance. He has been an enthusiastic figurehead, bringing sound advice to those responsible for technology programmes, both in government and industry.”

Congratulating Dr Thambimuthu, Mr Mandil said, “The award is one of several initiatives by the CIAB to demonstrate how the coal industry can be part of a sustainable solution to the environmental, energy supply and energy security challenges facing the world. The IEA is particularly pleased to see Dr Thambimuthu honoured in this way given his leadership over many years of a major IEA Implementing Agreement – the Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme.”

The CIAB, formed in 1979 to advise the IEA, is composed of high-level executives from coal-related industrial enterprises. The CIAB’s current work programme focuses on clean coal technologies, including work on zero-emission technologies for coal-fired power generation. A second theme is coal and sustainable development, in particular, looking at how the energy security value of coal should be taken into account alongside the environmental challenge faced by coal. Recent publications by the CIAB on these topics include: Case Studies in Sustainable Development in the Coal Industry, published for UN CSD-14 held in New York in May 2006, and Roadmapping Coal’s Future, a collaborative report with the IEA Clean Coal Centre, London, and the IEA Working Party on Fossil Fuels. These, and other CIAB publications, are available from the CIAB website.