South Africa’s thermal-coal exports are expected to drop as its main export hub faces growing competition and new cheaper energies proliferate, according to a U.S. research group.
“New energy technology is replacing coal-fired power faster than most predicted,” the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said Monday as it released its export outlook. With fewer countries using the fuel, South Africa -- which has the continent’s biggest coal-export hub -- will increasingly vie for customers with other exporters around the world.