Peabody Energy, the world's largest private-sector coal company, has entered into a memorandum of understanding with ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC to advance project development of a commercial-scale coal gasification project in Illinois that would transform coal into pipeline- quality synthetic natural gas. The initial project would be designed with ConocoPhillips "E-Gas(TM)" Technology, featuring an oxygen-blown gasification system. ConocoPhillips and Fluor have begun preliminary engineering design work for the project.
The plant would be one of the largest coal-to-natural-gas plants in the United States and would be sited in Illinois. Peabody would develop a coal mine to fuel the plant using its Illinois Basin reserves, and ArcLight, through an affiliate, would contribute its Illinois-related coal-to-natural- gas development assets.
The project would require at least 3 million tons of coal per year to fuel two gasifier trains that could produce more than 35 billion cubic feet of synthetic natural gas. More....
Resources:
Peabody Energy and ArcLight Capital Explore Sites for Major Coal-To-Natural-Gas Project, Press release November 2, 2005
Peabody Energy, St Louis, MO
ArcLight Capital Partners, Boston, MA
More blogs about coal, fossil energy, energy
Another large coal-to-oil facility is proposed for Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. A January 3rd post at http://crackerblog.heronseye.com/
provides further information on the $612-million project set to begin in early 2006. The plant will covert culm (coal waste) into jet fuel.
Posted by: CrackerBlog | January 03, 2006 at 10:57 AM