Location: Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa, Morgantown, WV
Date: May 4, 2007

Event Overview

The U.S. Trade & Development Agency (USTDA) is sponsoring the Ukraine – Donetsk Coal Bed Methane (CBM) / Coal Mine Methane (CMM) Orientation Visit (OV).  Participating in this OV will be eight Ukrainian coal mine specialists and Donetsk Regional Government Administration (DRGA) representatives and one U.S. Commercial Service official from the Kiev office.  The delegates will travel to the U.S. April 29 - May 8, 2007 to learn about U.S. technologies, products, and management methodologies in the CBM / CMM sector. 

The highlight of the OV is the Business Briefing which is planned for May 4, 2007 in Morgantown, WV at the Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa.  The major project in the Ukraine is a new CBM / CMM mining facility in the Donetsk region.  The OV participants are decision-makers who are in the market for CBM / CMM extraction and processing equipment. This OV is especially timely with worldwide energy costs continuing to increase.

Sector Overview

The Ukraine coal industry is in dire physical and economic condition with an excessive number of coal mines, a bloated work force (nearly 300,000 miners), antiquated equipment, and insufficient financial resources to provide for safer working conditions for the Ukrainian coal miners.  Ukraine has approximately 165 mines in operation with almost all of these being underground mines.  Most coal is being mined at depths in excess of 700 meters and the coal seam thickness is often less than 1.3 meters.

Ukraine has two major coal basins: the Donetsk Basin and the Lviv-Volyn Basin. Underground coal seams and surrounding rock strata contain large volumes of methane that are estimated to be in excess of eleven (11) trillion cubic meters.  During the process of mining, this gas is released to the mine operations, and to the atmosphere.  Ukraine is the fifth largest emitter of CMM emissions.  Increasing recovery and use of CMM would have significant benefits for Ukraine including increased mine productivity, greater energy independence, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and substitution of a cleaner-burning fuel.

Since 1991 (its year of independence), the Ukraine has experienced the second worst coal mine fatality rate in the world with a total of over 4,000 fatalities and 200 fatalities in 2004 alone.  The root cause of these fatalities is the release and ignition of high levels of methane gas.  The high fatality rate can be reduced with the installation of enhanced methane gas drainage technology, utilization of rock dust, underground water filtration, improved ventilation systems, and the enforcement of safety laws and regulations.  The commercial development and utilization of CBM/CMM in Ukraine through equipment upgrades and technology transfer have many potentially positive benefits for the economy, the environment, and the coal industry.

Who Should Attend

• CBM/CMM Operators
• Equipment Suppliers
• Service Companies
• Engineering Companies
• Environmental Consulting Firms
• International Finance Companies

Event Schedule

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM   Registration/Check-in
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM   Session & Luncheon
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM   One-on-One Meetings*

*These meetings must be set up with MSE in advance of the Business Briefing and will likely be no more than 20 minutes in duration (pending the number of companies that are to be scheduled).  The one-on-one meeting will allow an opportunity to provide an overview of those goods and services that your company provides that may be applicable to the upcoming projects in Donetsk.  You may want to leave the delegates with a copy of your promotional materials.  We encourage the use of electronic copies in lieu of paper copies as the delegates will have limited space in their baggage when they return home. 

Registration and Additional Information

Early Registration (Before April 13, 2007): $30

Registration after April 13, 2007: $40

For more information, or to register, please visit the official event website at: www.mseov.com.

Please call (703)-961-0710 or email Dale Rice to inquire about individual meeting opportunities with the delegates.