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FutureCoalFuels.org Update
Nov. 24, 2009
In this update:
• West Virginia CTL project moving forward
• University of Kentucky, West Virginia University receive federal CTL research grants
• 2010 World CTL Conference set for China
• Become a CTL grassroots supporter
• Stay up-to-date on the latest news reports spotlighting CTL
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West Virginia CTL project moving forward
A large-scale coal-to-gasoline plant proposed for far southern West Virginia is another important step closer to reality.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is now seeking public comment on its preliminary decision to issue an air pollution permit for the proposed Mingo County project.
New York-based TransGas Development announced plans in December to build the proposed $3 billion project near Wharncliffe. The facility is expected to turn three million tons of coal a year into methanol that would then be converted into as much as 765,000 gallons of gasoline a day.
More information is available here.
University of Kentucky, West Virginia University receive federal CTL research grants
The University of Kentucky and West Virginia University (WVU) were recently awarded federal research grants designed to help both institutions conduct research and development into advanced coal-to-liquid (CTL) technologies.
On Oct. 28, U.S. Reps. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) and Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) announced the University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Energy Research will receive $2 million in coal-to-liquid research grant money. The funding comes from Congressional appropriations that Davis and Rogers secured in the 2010 fiscal year (FY) Energy and Water Appropriations Act.
"In this time of economic hardship, investing in new energy technology is one of the smartest things we can do to spur our recovery," Davis said in a news release.
The research funded by the grant would obtain equipment and personnel for a refinery to convert solid coal and biomass products to liquids like diesel and aviation fuel.
The FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act also included $1.25 million for WVU's National Research Center for Coal and Energy that help WVU continue its work with the Chinese government on a CTL plant.
The grant will pay for WVU's expenses, including advising China on how to dispose of carbon dioxide and how to manage carbon dioxide emissions.
"By working cooperatively with China we will learn their experiences in constructing their plant, and that will help us in our country to deploy this technology here that will be at a fraction of the cost that it would be for us to construct our own plant and test it," said Dick Bajura, director of the National Research Center for Coal and Energy.
More information on the Kentucky funding is available here.
More information on the West Virginia funding is available here.
2010 World CTL Conference set for China
Leading public and private sector representatives from the around the world will gather in Beijing, China, next April for the World CTL 2010 Conference. The April 13-16 conference will focus on a range of topics, including energy security, environmental performance and technological developments.
The 2010 conference will have a specific focus on Chinese CTL projects and will feature a site visit to a CTL plant constructed in Inner Mongolia.
More information on the conference is available here.
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