drbubb Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Energy Committee Holds Successful Coal-to-Liquids Implementation Hearing April 24th, 2006 Washington, D.C. – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a full committee hearing on the opportunities to develop and deploy technologies to convert coal to liquid fuels. The Energy Information Agency projects that America will get 1.7 million barrels of transportation fuel per day from coal by 2030 using technologies that are still emerging in 2006. That’s nearly half of the expected worldwide coal-to-liquids (CTL) production. A new report prepared by the National Coal Council suggests CTL technologies could product 2.6 million barrels per day, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 encourages the development of these technologies in a number of ways, including a new loan guarantee program for innovative technologies that does not require the appropriation of any taxpayer funds. The Department of Energy is nearing completion on the design of the new program. Chairman Domenici’s statement: “We have abundant coal reserves. The United States is often called the Saudi Arabia of coal. Emerging coal technologies, along with hydrogen and biofuels technology, could sharply reduce our dependence on foreign oil over the next several years. All of these technologies need to be refined, of course, and coal technology, in particular, needs to be improved in the context of climate change issues. “But we created a framework in the energy bill for the design and deployment of these critical technologies. As soon as DOE gets the loan guarantee program up and running, I anticipate several applicants from the CTL sector.” @: http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?...ar=2006&Party=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dom Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Energy Committee Holds Successful Coal-to-Liquids Implementation Hearing April 24th, 2006 Washington, D.C. – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a full committee hearing on the opportunities to develop and deploy technologies to convert coal to liquid fuels. The Energy Information Agency projects that America will get 1.7 million barrels of transportation fuel per day from coal by 2030 using technologies that are still emerging in 2006. That’s nearly half of the expected worldwide coal-to-liquids (CTL) production. A new report prepared by the National Coal Council suggests CTL technologies could product 2.6 million barrels per day, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 encourages the development of these technologies in a number of ways, including a new loan guarantee program for innovative technologies that does not require the appropriation of any taxpayer funds. The Department of Energy is nearing completion on the design of the new program. Chairman Domenici’s statement: “We have abundant coal reserves. The United States is often called the Saudi Arabia of coal. Emerging coal technologies, along with hydrogen and biofuels technology, could sharply reduce our dependence on foreign oil over the next several years. All of these technologies need to be refined, of course, and coal technology, in particular, needs to be improved in the context of climate change issues. “But we created a framework in the energy bill for the design and deployment of these critical technologies. As soon as DOE gets the loan guarantee program up and running, I anticipate several applicants from the CTL sector.” @: http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?...ar=2006&Party=1 Bubb, I hear the Chinese are throwing cash at this technology? There is nothing new about it, however. During WW2 the Bergius process successfully maintained fuel supplies to the German war effort. At about the same time Coalene (British coal petrol) was available in the UK. Sasol, SA started making liquid fuels from synthesis gas during the 50's, making a huge loss for years and relying on subsidies. GTL and CTL plants are expensive compared to conventional refineries, the process is inefficient, cost of the fuel comparatively high. However, with oil above $60 they're viable. However, these are buffer technologies IMO, knocking back the price of conventional crude as they hit the market. Something to be aware of when considering investment in this sector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooki Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 and presumably viable for the UK too, especially with our offshore coal reserves. This link is for Underground Coal Gassification (UCG), I raised in another thread, but presumably would still hold good for this coal-liquid technology. http://www.coal.gov.uk/resources/cleanerco...ucgoverview.cfm ....A recent EU trial sponsored in part by DTI has demonstrated the feasibility of UCG at depths typical of European coal. The DTI has concluded that the UCG process has potential for UK coal reserves, particularly when considered against the massive offshore coal resource, which may be amenable to UCG..... TLM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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