JOHN TOPPER
Managing Director
IEA Clean Coal Centre & IEA Environmental Projects Ltd

John Topper has 28 years of experience of coal supply and use both in the UK and internationally. For the past 3 years he has held the dual posts of Managing Director of IEA Clean Coal Centre and IEA Environmental Projects Ltd. The latter acts as the Operating Agent for IEA Greenhouse Gas R & D Programme. The IEA Clean Coal Centre focuses on near and medium term issues associated with coal-fired power generation and is involved in supporting the IEA Zero Emissions Technology activities, as is the IEA Greenhouse Gases R & D Programme, which is probably the leading organisation in looking at greenhouse gas mitigation options from the use of fossil fuels on a global basis.

In 2000-2001 he worked for the UN Industrial Development Organisation in Vienna, concentrating on managing greenhouse gas mitigation projects in India.

Previously he was an executive director of a private energy and environment consulting company. He concentrated on international business, personally directing and managing many projects in the Former Soviet Union and several in China. Most of these projects concerned efficient and economic use of coal.

From 1975 to 1995 he worked for the British Coal Corporation until its privatisation, starting on purely technical activities and working through to become a Director of the Coal Research Establishment. His experience there encompassed:

Supervising inputs into a series of investigations and designs for pit-head power stations based on circulating fluidised bed technologies
2 years setting up the IEA Greenhouse Gas R & D programme in 1990-91
Managing the British Coal R & D budget planning process during which time he was one of the UK representatives to then IEA Coal Research Technical Committee.
Supporting coal sales to industrial users through introduction of latest technologies for coal and ash handling and efficient combustion.
Supervising design of coal liquefaction plant.
Development of a fluidised bed coal gasification process in the late 1970’s.

Even his private life has an international flavour. His wife is a graduate of the Moscow Mining Institute and he managed to leave behind one daughter in Vienna after his period working there for the UN.