Quality of product
Our operation develops and implements plans that comply with the requirements for coal exports.
Approximately 70% of the coal mined is immediately crushed and dispatched by train, while the remaining 30% is warehoused in accordance with its calorific value, ash, and sulfur contents. This coal is then crushed and incorporated into the normal flow for the purpose of adjusting the quality of the coal dispatched at any given moment. At the mine, the quality of the crushed coal is measured through analysis of a sample taken by an automatic sampler. Before loading the coal onto the train, within a period of time less than two hours long, the quality of the coal is determined by rapid laboratory analyses.
Once at the port, the coal is stockpiled and reclaimed into a form that minimizes variability in the quality of the coal in each shipment. A certified sampling station, operated by an independent inspector, is used to certify the quality of each shipment. Puerto Bolívar has the capacity to load bulk carrier ships with between 25 million and 175 million tonnes of coal, subject to the approval of the port authorities.
Our coal is mainly an unwashed product that is crushed with typical calorific values of 10,600 Btu/lb GAR up to 11,300 Btu/lb GAR.
Cerrejón coal is a product that for the most part is unwashed and comes from several seams.
The majority of our coal is used in the generation of electrical power, while a lesser portion is used in industrial contexts and domestic heating. The high performance of our coal in multiple combustion processes has put it in a position of excellence in Europe as well as North America for over 20 years.
For more information, contact CMC Coal Marketing Company at marketing@cmc-coal.ie, the only authorized vendor of Cerrejón coal globally.
Sketch of quality control