Gasification News

Neste Jacobs, Outotec Ink Deals with Global Oil Shale; $40/bbl Synthetic Crude Seen

U.K.-based Global Oil Shale (GOS) and global energy-project engineering giant Neste Jacobs jointly announced May 13 that they’ve signed a “strategic” agreement to “collaborate in oil-shale processing and plant design for converting oil shale into liquid fuel and gas as well as any upgrading required for synthetic crude oil production.”

Saras Posts 1Q 2013 Net Loss; Touts Rosneft Deals

Italy-based, diesel-oriented oil refiner and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) electric power producer Saras posted a corporate-wide net loss of €1.8 million (US$2.3 million) for first-quarter (1Q) 2013, compared to a net profit of €14.1 million ($18 million) in 1Q 2012.

ERG 1Q 2013 Net Income Rises Year-on-Year

Italian oil refiner and integrated-gasification combined cycle (IGCC) electric power producer ERG announced May 14 that its first-quarter (1Q) 2013 net income rose to €40 million (US$51.7 million), up from €32 million ($41.4 million) in 1Q 2012.

Alter NRG Posts Cdn$1.76-Million Loss for 1Q 2013

Alberta-based Alter NRG announced May 2 that it posted a first-quarter (1Q) 2013 net loss of Cdn$1.76 million (US$1.74 million), an improvement over the Cdn$2.59-million ($2.57-million) net loss in 1Q 2012.

Carbon Energy Nabs UCG Deal in Inner Mongolia

Australia-based underground coal gasification (UCG) specialist Carbon Energy announced May 8 that it signed a deal with Zhengzhou Coal Industry Group (Zhengmei) to become the exclusive UCG technology partner for a new project in Inner Mongolia, China.

SES Posts FY-3Q 2013 Net Loss of US$5.4 Million

Houston-based gasification technology specialist Synthesis Energy Systems (SES) announced May 7 a US$5.4-million net loss for its fiscal-year (FY) third-quarter (3Q) 2013, matching the $5.4-million net loss for FY-3Q 2012.

Celanese, Mitsui Ink JV for Methanol Plant in Texas

Dallas-based chemical giant Celanese and Tokyo-based Mitsui announced May 15 a joint venture to build a US$800-million, 1.3 million-ton-per-year methanol plant at a Celanese chemical plant in Clear Lake, Texas due for start up in mid-2015.

New Hope Reveals CTL-Diesel Project Plans

Australia-based New Hope Group told Gasification News on May 10 that it has launched construction of a “small-scale” coal-to-liquids (CTL) research and development plant at the Jeebropilly mine site near Ipswich, Queensland.

Solid Energy Continues Cutbacks, Will Divest UCG

New Zealand’s state-owned coal miner Solid Energy announced May 8 that it proposes further job cuts and seeks to divest its underground coal gasification (UCG) efforts to a third party.

CVR Partners 1Q 2013 Profits Improve Year-on-Year

Texas-based CVR Partners – operator of a petcoke-based fertilizer plant at Coffeyville, Kan. – announced May 1 that its first-quarter (1Q) 2013 net income rose to US$35.6 million, up from $30.2 million in 1Q 2012.

KBR, Yokogawa Ink Ammonia Plant Technology Alliance

Houston-based KBR and Japan-based Yokogawa Electric announced April 8 a new alliance under which KBR will supply a fertilizer automation package as part of its ammonia process technology solutions to customers worldwide.

Abengoa to Build Gasification-WTE Plant in Arizona

Spain-based renewable energy project developer Abengoa announced May 6 that it plans to build a 15-megawatt (MW), gasification-based waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Glendale, Ariz.

Massachusetts Regulators OK Gasification-Based WTE

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on May 7 issued its final Solid Waste Master Plan (SWMP) and specifically approved gasification-based waste-to-energy (WTE) as a much cleaner alternative to prohibited garbage incineration (“mass burn”).

Green Waste Energy Inks Deal for GE Gas Engines for WTE Projects

Connecticut-based Green Waste Energy (GWE) announced May 15 that it signed a deal whereby GE will supply an “undetermined number” of GE Jenbacher J620 gas engines for GWE waste-to-energy (WTE) projects around the world.

California County Moving Ahead on Gasification-WTE Project

The local board of supervisors of Placer County, Calif. announced May 9 that they voted to approve a proposed 2-megawatt, gasification-based waste-to-energy (WTE) project near Tahoe City.

Atkins Wins Engineering Contract for Gasification-WTE Project in Scotland

U.K.-based Atkins announced May 14 that it won a contract from gasification-waste-to-energy (WTE) specialist Energos to help build the Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Center (GGREC) in Scotland.

Swedish Science Academy Recommends Gasification-Based Biofuels

Sweden’s Royal Academy of Sciences (KVA) last month published its “Norrland Project” report urging that policy-makers focus upon non-food-based biofuel development, principally forest-waste gasification followed by methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis.

Oneida Tribe Kills Gasification-WTE Project Proposal

The Wisconsin-based Oneida Tribe of Indians voted May 5 to kill a proposed gasification-based waste-to-energy (WTE) project on tribal land, following an earlier decision by the city of Green Bay to void a permit for the proposed plant at another site.

GE Wins U.S. Patent for IGCC Plant ‘Predictive-Control’ System

The U.S. Patent Office announced April 9 that General Electric won a patent for a “model predictive-control system and method for integrated-gasification combined cycle [IGCC] power generation.”

European Consortium to Launch Wind/Solar Power-to-Natural Gas Scheme

Eleven companies in Europe jointly announced April 26 the formation of the “North Sea Power to Gas Platform” (P2G), aiming to convert surplus wind and solar power to natural gas – via water electrolysis and subsequent reforming of hydrogen to methane.

U.S. Natural Gas Prices Jump to Two-Year High

U.S. natural gas prices hit a two-year high during the first quarter of 2013 because of cutbacks in natural gas drilling and production, along with higher demand.

Market Snapshot

Gasification Hot-Spots

Sierra Club Asks Miss. Supreme Court to Reverse Kemper IGCC Settlement

The Mississippi chapter of the Sierra Club announced May 16 that it’s asking the state Supreme Court to reverse a settlement deal between Mississippi Power Co. (MPC) and the state Public Service Commission (PSC) allowing certain rate recoveries for the under-construction, US$3.4-billion, 582-megawatt (MW) “Kemper” integrated-gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant.

Leucadia’s Lake Charles Methanol/CCS Project EIS Open for Public Comment

Leucadia Corp.’s Lake Charles Clean Energy (LCCE) project – involving petcoke gasification, methanol production and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS) – is now open for public comment for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) draft environmental impact statement (EIS).

Mongstad Center Unveils 2014 CO2-Capture Test Plans

The Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) carbon-dioxide (CO2) capture test facility adjacent to the Statoil refinery in Norway will host a new round of testing of other CO2 absorption solvents in 2014.

RTI, Norcem to Install Solid-Sorbent CO2 Capture Tech at Norway Plant

North Carolina-based RTI International and Norcem (a division of Germany-based HeidelbergCement) announced May 15 that they’re partnering on a pilot-scale demonstration of a solid-sorbent carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology at Norcem’s cement plant in Brevik, Norway.

DOE Touts Air Products CO2 -EOR Scheme at Refinery Hydrogen Plants

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on May 10 hailed the start up of a US$431-million carbon dioxide (CO2) capture project at an Air Products hydrogen plant in Port Arthur, Texas.

Mitsui Seeks U.S. Patent for Water-Based CO2-Capture Scheme

The U.S. Patent Office announced April 18 that Mitsui is seeking a patent on a scheme employing ordinary water for separating and capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from integrated-gasification combined cycle (IGCC) syngas streams.