Gasification Feasibility Study Begins on Mozambique Coal (PR Newswire)

Posted on February 9, 2012

Synthesis Energy Systems Announces Agreement for Feasibility Study With Ncondezi Coal Company

HOUSTON / PRNewswire via COMTEX / — Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc. (“SES”) announced today that its joint venture, SES Resource Solutions, Ltd. (“SRS”), has entered into an agreement with Ncondezi Coal Company Limited (aim:NCCL) (“Ncondezi”) for a study to determine the feasibility of mining and exporting up to 15 million tons per year (Mtpa) of low volatile coal, in addition to Ncondezi’s export thermal grade coal resources, from the Ncondezi Project in Mozambique.

Under terms of the agreement, low volatile coal from Mozambique will be analyzed for its gasification characteristics. The study will also assess the economics of shipping the coal to major Asian countries, and subsequent conversion to substitute natural gas (“SNG”) by SES’s U-GAS® gasification technology. The study is expected to last approximately three months. Depending on the study results, the SRS joint venture and Ncondezi will negotiate the terms of a joint development agreement to facilitate commercialization of Ncondezi’s low volatile coal resources.
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Posted in Projects, Technologies

Ohio Gasification Project Seeks Extension (Platts)

Posted on February 8, 2012

US Lima Energy seeks extension for Ohio coal gasification project to 2014

Louisville, Kentucky (Platts)

The developer of the long-delayed Lima Energy coal gasification project in northwest Ohio is seeking more time to meet a requirement to start a “continuous course of construction” on the $2.2 billion plant.

Lima Energy’s owner USA Synthetic Fuels Tuesday asked the Ohio Power Siting Board to approve a 30-month extension to a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need this is due to expire this month to September 2014.
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Posted in Projects

Electric Vehicle Tops Natural Gas for ‘Greenest Car’ (EnergyBiz)

Posted on February 7, 2012

Electric Car Tops Greenest Vehicle List for First Time in 12 Years

With the auto industry back on its feet and fuel economy standards shifting into high gear, automakers provided American consumers with a huge array of vehicles and technologies to choose from in 2012. Today at greenercars.org, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its 14th annual comprehensive environmental rankings showing how these offerings stack up.

The “Greenest” list saw a considerable shake-up this year, with the Mitsubishi i-MIEV battery electric vehicle claiming the top spot from the Honda Civic Natural Gas, which has held on to first place for eight years in a row. Making its model year 2012 debut on the American market, the i-MIEV earns a score of 58, the highest Green Score awarded since the rankings began in 1998. With a combined city and highway fuel economy of 112 miles per gallon equivalent, the i-MIEV outpaces all other vehicles currently sold in United States. “Even taking into account the emissions generated from the electricity used to power the i-MIEV, it still handily outscores other vehicles on the market today,” said ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan.
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Posted in Technologies

Commercial Scale Gasification Demo Moves Forward in China (PR Newswire)

Posted on February 2, 2012

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Signs Agreement for Commercial-Scale Gasification Demonstration Plant in China

CANOGA PARK, Calif., /PRNewswire

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has signed a negotiation framework agreement with two energy industry leaders to design, construct and operate a commercial-scale advanced gasification demonstration plant in China’s central eastern Henan Province. The agreement is a key step toward commercializing technology designed to lower the cost of coal gasification and provide an alternative fuel source that reduces water use and carbon dioxide emissions. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

Under the framework, Zhongyuan Da Hua Group Company Ltd. and East China Engineering Science & Technology Company will share development costs for construction and operation of a demonstration plant with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, subject to the terms of a formal agreement currently being negotiated between the parties.
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