CIRI and Laurus Energy Form US Underground Coal Gasification JV
09 June 2010
Alaska Native corporation Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI) and Houston-based Laurus Energy have formed Stone Horn Ridge LLC, a company created to commercialize syngas from underground coal gasification (UCG). The Anchorage, Alaska-based joint venture is developing syngas for power generation, synthetic liquid fuels and other industrial applications.
Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) uses air/oxygen injection and production wells drilled from the surface to enable the coal in non-mined coal seams to be converted in situ into product gas containing mixtures of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and other gases. These can be recovered to the surface through wells and used as fuel for power generation or as feedstock for the production of chemicals and other hydrocarbon products.
The syngas composition depends on the coal geology as well as the process parameters such as operating pressure, outlet temperature and flow. It can be produced using a variety of oxidants, including air and oxygen-rich gaseous blends.
Stone Horn Ridge’s production site will be on CIRI-owned land on the west side of Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska.
As its first commercial application, Stone Horn Ridge will produce syngas to fuel a 100MW power plant in Southcentral Alaska. The company is also in discussions with potential customers to customize the product as a feedstock for other gas-based industries.
CIRI and Laurus Energy started working on the project in 2009; the partners have been test drilling to validate the coal resource and geology as a high-value target for syngas production.
Laurus Energy develops underground coal gasification (UCG) projects in North America using proprietary Ergo Exergy UCG Technology (earlier post). Laurus Energy is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Montreal; Edmonton, AB, and Sheridan, WY.
Coal gasification is a very old technology. However, to do it underground may be a much cleaner way. There is enough coal around to meet Gas requirements for many decades. Wonder if that's how nature made some of the underground NG?
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 June 2010 at 08:42 AM
That sounds right Harvey. However we are closing in on very low cost water splitting which will yield essentially an unlimited source of H and O...
Posted by: sulleny | 10 June 2010 at 06:08 AM