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Agenda

Registration and welcome refreshments
Chair's opening remarks
SESSION 1 – Forces Reshaping the Market: Geopolitics, Volatility, and the
Global Raw Materials Outlook
Geopolitics, Macroeconomics, and Steel Raw Materials
  • How geopolitical tensions, trade disruption, and macroeconomic volatility are reshaping global steel raw material markets
  • Tariffs, import restrictions, and evolving trade policy — including impacts on coke flows into key markets such as India
  • Energy and power costs in steelmaking and their impact on BF-BOF, EAF, and DRI competitiveness
  • Metallurgical coal as a critical mineral and its implications for investment and supply security
  • Deglobalisation and onshoring trends reshaping trade flows in manganese, chrome, and ferroalloys

Dr James Stevenson | Vice President and Research Lead, McCloskey by OPIS, A Dow Jones Company
Steel’s Transition Decade: Green Shift, Trade Tensions, and Coking Coal to 2030
  • Pace and direction of the steel green transition to 2030–2040, including regional adoption rates and continued resilience of blast furnace-based production
  • Global steel trade dynamics and macro constraints, including stalled hot metal output outside China and the outlook for Chinese steel exports and ex-China recovery
  • Coking coal market evolution to 2030, covering emerging BF and coke capacity in Asia, Australian supply investment dynamics, and disruption from new coke capacity in Indonesia reshaping seaborne trade flow

Banmeet Khurmi | Lead, Metallurgical Coal & Steel Markets, CRU Group
Global Metallurgical Coal Market Outlook
  • Global met coal supply, demand, and price outlook in a volatile market environment
  • Structural changes reshaping trade flows and market balance over the coming years
  • Risks and opportunities across the metallurgical coal value chain

Chris Bandmann | Senior Analyst, Metallurgical Coal, Wood Mackenzie
Global Market Dynamics and the Evolution of Pricing Systems
  • Market update and analysis within pricing intelligence
  • Impact of changing trade flows and technology (particularly India’s rise) on pricing systems
  • Evolution of pricing mechanisms in global markets

Oscar Tarneberg | Vice President Business Development, Metals, Argus Media
Networking break
SESSION 2 - Leadership in Volatile Markets
Clarity Under Pressure: Decision-Making in Volatile Industrial Markets
  • What ten years in commodity trading taught me about decision-making under pressure
  • Why volatility is as much a psychological challenge as a commercial one
  • The hidden cost of chronic stress on executive judgement and long-term performance
  • A practical framework for finding clarity when markets and life are most uncertain

Charley Law | Executive Coach, Author , Charley Law
SESSION 3 - Market by Market: Regional Pressures, Opportunities, and
the View from the Ground
European Steel Market Outlook: Fragile Recovery in a High-Pressure Market
  • Demand recovery remains slow and uneven, with key sectors like construction and automotive still underperforming
  • Rising import pressure and trade measures reshaping competitiveness and market share across Europe
  • High energy costs and decarbonisation pressures continuing to challenge EU steel industry’s competitiveness and long-term investment decisions

Alessandro Sciamarelli | Director of Economic and Market Research EUROFER, European Steel Association (EUROFER)
Keynote: Opportunities and challenges for the Polish coking industry – the perspective of Poland’s largest coke producer and exporter
  • Overview of the coking industry in Poland
  • Update on two major investment projects, including the construction of a new coking battery
  • Progress report on the implementation doctorate focused on reducing the environmental impact of coke oven gas combustion in power units

Mateusz Klejnowski | Implementation PhD Student at Silesian University, plus Head of Development Office at JSW KOKS S.A., JSW KOKS S.A.
Networking lunch
China at the Center: Coke, Coal and Steel Market Outlook (tbc)
  • Ongoing overcapacity and export pressure continuing to distort global steel, met coal, and coke markets, with record exports and pricing impacts
  • Steel output controls and decarbonisation targets creating uncertainty for blast furnace demand and metallurgical coal consumption
  • China’s dominant role in coal and steel production keeping it at the centre of global pricing, trade flows, and raw material demand
Speaker tbc, CCIA – China Coking Industry Association (tbc)
Indonesia: Emerging Met Coal Supply Shaping Asian Steel Markets
  • Rapid expansion of Indonesian metallurgical coal exports increasing competition in Asian seaborne supply chains
  • Growing role as a flexible supplier to China, India, and Southeast Asian steel producers amid shifting trade flows
  • Rising influence on global met coal pricing dynamics as lower- and mid-tier quality coals gain market share
Australian Coking Coal Outlook: Market Dynamics and Future Trends
  • Australia’s critical role as the leading seaborne supplier of high-quality coking coal into Asia, particularly China and India
  • Supply volatility and pricing sensitivity driven by weather disruption, logistics constraints, and tightening global supply conditions
  • Shifting demand patterns in Asia as India grows and China adjusts production, impacting long-term met coal trade flows and pricing
Networking break
SESSION 4 - Trade in Motion: Seaborne Markets, Supply Disruption, and
India's Growing Influence
Met Coal & Coke Outlook: Trade Shifts and Market Balance to 2030
  • Global steel demand growth to ~2 Bt by 2030, led by India’s expansion, while decarbonisation begins to reshape long-term met coal demand
  • Supply tightness and volatility driven by Australia, Indonesia expansion limits, and geopolitical disruptions affecting global pricing
  • Seaborne trade realignment as Asia dominates flows, India increases imports, and China and Europe reshape export-import balances
  • India anti-dumping measures on low-ash met coke impacting trade flows and reshaping supplier competitiveness across key exporting regions

Jitendra K. Nanda 2 | Managing Partner( Trade) , BALTA SA
Global Steel Raw Materials in Transition: Trade Flows, Costs, and India’s Growing Influence
  • India’s steel demand growth and its impact on global coking coal and metallurgical coke balances
  • Evolving global trade flows, with India playing an increasingly important role in seaborne raw material markets
  • Rising cost pressures across coal, coke, and freight, and their impact on steelmaking margins
  • Growing interlinkages between steel, raw materials, and freight markets amid geopolitical and energy volatility

Pranay Shukla |  Director, Head of Metals Trading Research & CAS Dry Bulk , S&P Global Commodity Insights
Seaborne Metallurgical Coal in a Decarbonizing World: Outlook to 2040
  • Uneven global steel decarbonisation trajectory, with BF-BOF remaining dominant in many regions despite gradual EAF and DRI growth
  • Structural divergence in met coal demand, with premium grades remaining resilient amid tightening quality requirements
  • Evolving seaborne trade flows driven by rising Asian demand (India and Southeast Asia) and shifting Chinese import/export dynamics
  • Supply concentration and geopolitical/logistical constraints increasing volatility and reinforcing the importance of security of supply and pricing flexibility
Janusz Niekrasz, Specialists, McKinsey & Company 
Chairs closing remarks
Networking drinks reception
Registration and welcome refreshments
Chair's opening remarks
SESSION 5 - Operational Excellence, Digitalisation & Coke Plant Performance
Optimising Coking Coal Quality and Consistency to Support Stable Steelmaking Operations
  • Overview of Jellinbah Group’s metallurgical coal operations which produce 14 Mtpa for global steel markets
  • Technical overview of processing strategies to control variability and deliver consistent coal quality for stable coke production
  • Application of analytical techniques and plant trials to refine coal preparation and maximise cokemaking performance
  • Discussion on operational approaches to enable additional coking coal products without compromising quality or reliability
James Bottle, Principal, Technical Marketing, Jellinbah Group Operations
Avoiding a €6 Million Replacement: Emergency Rehabilitation of a Coke Oven Gas Collecting Main (tbc)
Speaker tbc, Erdemir
Non-Recovery Heat-Recovery Coke Making in alignment with Viksit Bharat (Developed India) aspiration
  • How non-recovery coke making is reshaping cost-efficient and lower-emission steel production routes
  • Practical pathways for reducing carbon footprint while maintaining coke supply reliability for BF–BOF operations
  • Opportunities to improve coke quality and operational performance using leaner coal blends and alternative charging approaches
  • The role of heat-recovery systems in improving energy efficiency and overall plant economics in modern coke production

GS Venkata Subramanian | Ex- Chief General Manager, Coke Ovens & Coal Chemicals Department, , Bhilai Steel Plant
Operational Excellence through Automation at Coke Plants
  • Digital connectivity solutions for large-scale coke plant operations with mobile equipment integration
  • Wireless communication infrastructure linking field equipment with central control systems
  • Integration of advanced monitoring and automation tools for operational visibility and diagnostics
  • Predictive maintenance and coke oven health monitoring through real-time data and analytics

Anushka Dashputra | Manager - Coke Oven & Sinter Plant, Tata Steel Limited
Networking break
Drone-Based Inspection of Coke Oven Batteries – Practical Applications and Use Cases
  • Drone-based inspections of coke oven batteries to improve accessibility, safety, and inspection coverage
  • Practical use cases including ascension pipe inspection, thermal assessment of oven roofs, and structural condition assessment
  • Acquisition of high-resolution visual and geometric data from hard-to-access areas for improved transparency and documentation
  • Additional: volume measurement of coal and coke stockpiles as a supplementary use case

Daniel Wiemken | Senior Process Engineer , tk UHDE GmbH
SESSION 6 - Regulation, Safety and Emissions: Operating Under Pressure
Revising the EU BREF for Coke & Coal: What Operators Need to Know
Aleksander Sobolewski, Director, Institute of Fuel and Energy Technology (tbc)
Management of Process Safety in ArcelorMittal
  • Process Safety Management (PSM) framework for preventing fires, explosions, and toxic releases in coke production environments
  • Managing operational risk through asset integrity, hazard identification, and preventive safety barriers in high-risk process areas
  • Core PSM elements including Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Management of Change (MOC), and emergency response systems
  • Approach to addressing complex risks in coke plants, including flammable gas networks and hazardous storage systems
  • Industry perspective on organisational structure and roadmap for strengthening process safety performance

Michel Ferry | Expert Coke Plants, Group CTO Team, ArcelorMittal
Enhanced Emission Control in Modern Coke Oven Operations
  • Modern coke plants aim for near-zero emissions through optimised charging, pushing, and by-product handling systems
  • Despite advanced systems such as HPLA and CGT cars, significant raw gas releases can still occur during critical operations
  • Synchronisation challenges between CGT positioning, HPLA valve actuation, and charger movement contribute to fugitive emissions
  • Optimising HPLA pump pressure can measurably reduce raw gas leakage during charging operations
  • Roof carbon build-up can negatively impact charging performance and increase uncontrolled emission pathways
Deepak Kumar, Sr Area Manager, Tata Steel Limited
Coke Oven Pad-Up Rebuilding Technology
  • Coke oven pad-up rebuilding maximises reuse of existing assets while upgrading core coke oven systems through advanced technologies
  • The approach delivers reduced heat consumption and heat loss, improved emissions control, and stable, controllable top space temperatures
  • Proven technical solution offering strong economic performance, with demonstrated maturity and operational reliability

Na Hong | Vice President, ACRE India, ACRE Coking & Refractory Engineering Consulting Corporation, MCC.
Networking lunch
SESSION 7 – Technology, Rebuilds and the Future of Carbon Pathways
Stamp‑Charge comes to Japan: First 6,25 m tall coke oven battery for JFE Steel - West Japan Works (Fukuyama)
  • OPEX-driven investment decision at JFE Steel amid global steel overcapacity and pressure on new coke capacity
  • Adoption of Stamp Charge technology at West Japan Works (Fukuyama) as a higher-return alternative to traditional top-charging coke oven rebuild
  • First Stamp Charge coke oven battery in Japan, featuring Paul Wurth technology with 52 × 6.25m ovens
  • Integration of Smokeless Charging and SOPRECO® single-oven pressure control to reduce emissions and maximise gas recovery
  • Enhanced environmental performance through minimised charging emissions and improved by-product plant efficiency
  • First SOPRECO® reference in Japan since commercial introduction, alongside implementation of advanced stamping unit technology
Speaker tbc, SMS-Group
Coke Oven Pad-Up Rebuilding Technology
  • Coke oven pad-up rebuilding maximises reuse of existing assets while upgrading core coke oven systems through advanced technologies
  • The approach delivers reduced heat consumption and heat loss, improved emissions control, and stable, controllable top space temperatures
  • Proven technical solution offering strong economic performance, with demonstrated maturity and operational reliability

Na Hong | Vice President, ACRE India, ACRE Coking & Refractory Engineering Consulting Corporation, MCC.
Global Anthracite Review 2026 and beyond
  • Global anthracite market overview
  • Supply and demand across key regions (Russia, Peru, South Africa, USA and others)
  • South Africa Anthracite market Overview
  • Anthracite in metallurgical applications and carbon value chains, including coke and steelmaking, trade flows, pricing, and competition with alternative carbon feedstocks
  • Anthracite’s role in future carbon solutions and decarbonisation pathways, alongside emerging low-carbon alternatives such as biocarbon
Walter Anderson, CEO, Hislop Anderson
An update on the status of efficiently produced biocarbon on its way to becoming a commodity
  • Biocarbon as a CO₂-neutral alternative to fossil carbon, requiring advanced production methods and efficient use of all biomass components
  • Development of sustainable feedstocks, product specifications, and emerging standards including ISO and IMSBC codification
  • Market evolution including production capacity growth, industry cooperation, and potential integration into coal and coke value chains

Michael Wild | President, International Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonisation Council (IBTC)
End of conference

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2026 Agenda