News

Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Motiva Delaware City IGCC (12/22/00)

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency erred in attempting to regulate combustion turbines at the Motiva Delaware City Refinery Repowering IGCC as "fuel gas combustion devices". This regulatory category was created in 1974 to control SO ₂ emissions arising from the combustion of refinery off-gases. If applied to the Delaware City plant it would have imposed additional, contradictory regulatory requirements and compliance costs on the project. The project will reduce overall emissions from the petroleum coke fired power plant it is replacing by more than 12,000 tons per year.

In overturning the EPA ruling the court found that because the IGCC plant is outside the refinery, the units could not be regulated as refinery combustion devices. If the EPA rule had stood, it could have set a precedent affecting other refinery based IGCC projects.

The following documentation is available: an article from the Bureau of National Affairs Daily Environment Report of December 13, 2000; the full text of the court's opinion ; and a paper with visuals on the Delaware City project presented at the 2000 Gasification Technologies Conference.

The BNA article is reproduced with permission from Daily Environment Report, No. 240, pp. A-3 - A-4 (Dec. 13, 2000). Copyright 2000 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) http://www.bna.com.

Draft Solicitation for Power Plant Initiative Available (12/7/00)

The U.S. Department of Energy has posted the draft financial assistance solicitation for its Power Plant Improvement Initiative (see prior news item) on its Website: http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/ .

A public comment and response session on the draft has been scheduled for December 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, PA. Details for those wishing to participate are contained on the first page of the draft solicitation.

U.S. DOE to Seek Comments on Power Plant Improvement Solicitation (11/30/2000)

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the schedule for soliciting public comment on the "power plant improvement initiative" authorized by the Congress for fiscal year 2001. The program will provide up to $95 million of federal funding for projects that demonstrate advanced technologies to increase efficiency, lower emissions and improve economics and overall performance of coal-based electric power plants. Private sector 50% cost sharing will be required. Gasification-based plants are eligible for funding.

The draft solicitation will be issued December 6 and a "public comment and response session" will be held on December 15. See the preliminary announcement on the program for more information. Additional details, including the draft solicitation will be available through this site, as well as through the DOE at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/ .

TPS/CITGO Ink MOU for Louisiana Refinery IGCC (11/21/00)

TECO Power Services Corporation (TPS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with CITGO Petroleum Corporation granting TPS exclusive rights to develop an integrated gasification combined cycle power plant adjacent to CITGO's Lake Charles, Louisiana Manufacturing Complex.

The project would use the Texaco Gasification Process to convert 5,000 tons per day of petroleum coke and excess refinery gases to clean synthesis gas. Plant output would include 670 net megawatts of power to be sold onto the region's wholesale market as well as steam and hydrogen for the CITGO complex. Texaco Power & Gasification also has the right to participate in the development of the project.

Under the agreement the plant is slated to begin commercial operations in January 2005. Additional details are available on the TPS Website .

President Signs Bill Adding $95 Million for Clean Coal Projects (10/26/00)

President Clinton has signed into law the fiscal year 2001 U.S. Department of Energy funding bill that provides $95 million in previously appropriated clean coal technology monies to provide for a "power plant improvement initiative".

The initiative will be managed under the fossil energy research and development program to demonstrate "advanced coal-based technologies applicable to existing and new power plants including co-production plants.that produce heat, electric power and liquid fuels...". A solicitation process is specified in the funding bill (Public Law 106-291) that would result in obligation of funds after September 30, 2001, the end of the federal fiscal year.

Among facilities eligible for funding would be those now in preliminary design under the DOE'S Co-production Program. (See 9/13/00 story below on Co-Production Projects.) The section from the spending bill report addressing the initiative is attached.

Third Co-Production Project Signs Contract With DOE (9/13/00)

Waste Management & Processors, Inc.(WMPI) has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that will provide a $7.8 million grant for preliminary work on a coal to distillate project under the DOE's Coproduction Program. The plant will produce about 5,000 barrels per day of clean diesel fuel from anthracite waste using Texaco Gasification and the Sasol Fischer Tropsch gas to liquids process.

The grant will be matched with about $4 million from WMPI and other project participants to fund preliminary studies, permitting and engineering design. For details see the WMPI press release and Website .

Two other projects - sponsored by Global Energy, Inc. and Texaco Natural Gas, Inc. - have already been awarded grants under the Co-Production Program For more information see the DOE Coproduction Program web site.

U.S. Senate Takes First Step Toward Coproduction Funding (8/9/00)

The U.S. Senate has laid the foundation for a possible sixth round in the Clean Coal Technology Program that could fund gasification coproduction projects. In passing the fiscal year 2001 appropriations bill for the DOE, the Senate deferred $67 million in Clean Coal funds until the next fiscal year; called upon the DOE to prepare a report on options for another round of the program; and directed it to give full consideration to the so-called "Early Entrance Coproduction" projects that received funding from the DOE last year for preliminary engineering and feasibility studies. Senate and House versions of the bill must be reconciled to become law.

During floor debate , Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA), who chairs the subcommittee overseeing Clean Coal funding, stated it is his, "intention to seek adequate funding for the Clean Coal Technology Program" to support a new round of demonstration projects, including gasification-coproduction projects.

Three companies are currently in the first phases of preparing preliminary engineering designs under the DOE coproduction program: Waste Management and Processors, Inc. ; Global Energy, Inc.; and Texaco Natural Gas, Inc. Full details are available on the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory web site.

Global Energy To Acquire Schwarze Pumpe Facility, Technology (8/8/00)

Global Energy, Inc. has announced agreement with Berlinwasser Holdings (BWH) of Germany to acquire its gasification coproduction facility and technology.

The sale will include BWH's gasification co-production facility, the Sekundärrohstoff Verwertungszentrum Schwarze Pumpe GmbH (SVZ) Recycling Project in Schwarze Pumpe, Germany, as well as the right, title and interest in SVZ's proprietary gasification technology, including its gasification-related patents. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The SVZ Recycling Project has been in operation since 1992 converting liquid and solid feedstocks into synthesis gas used for production of methanol and electricity. For details see the Global Energy press release .

Gasification Seen as Key to Vision 21 Goals (7/7/00)

A report by a committee of the prestigious National Research Council has concluded that coal gasification should be the focus of the U.S. Department of Energy's Vision 21 Program.

The committee found that "the bulk of funding for enabling technologies should be focused on coal-gasification technologies, the major element of the fuel-flexible gasification program." It also recognized the importance of non-coal based gasification plants operating today in demonstrating subsystems including syngas purification, solids feeding and syngas combustion at full commercial scale. Finally, it recommended that the DOE work with industry to develop an incentive program for the first three to five installations to overcome technical and economic risks associated with commercial applications of new technologies.

Vision 21 is aimed toward developing a new class of clean, efficient fossil-fueled facilities capable of coproducing electric power, process heat, and high value fuels and chemicals. Information about Vision 21 is available on the U.S. DOE's Website .

The NRC report, "Vision 21: Fossil Fuel Options for the Future" may be viewed or purchased (but not downloaded) on the Website of the National Academy Press .

McConnell Elected Vice Chairman of GTC (7/7/00)

Charles D. McConnell of Praxair, Inc., has been elected by the Gasification Technologies Council's Board of Directors to serve as the organization's Vice Chairman. His term runs until January of 2001. Mr. McConnell is vice president & general manager for hydrogen and carbon monoxide (HYCO) at Praxair.

Wabash River Signs Syngas Agreement With PSI Energy (6/15/00)

Wabash River Energy Ltd., owner and operator of a gasification facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, has signed a three year contract to supply syngas to an adjacent 262 MW combined cycle power plant owned by PSI Energy, Inc. The contract is structured to allow power produced from the syngas to "compare favorably year-round to PSI's alternate sources for on-peak and off-peak power". The syngas will be produced from coal and petroleum coke using the E-Gas Technology™ (formerly called the Destec Gasification Process) at the Wabash River facility, which has been in operation since 1995. Wabash River Energy Ltd. is a subsidiary of Global Energy Inc., a founding member of the Gasification Technologies Council. Additional information is available from a press release on this site .

UOP Acid Gas Removal Chosen for French Gasification Project (6/5/00)

UOP LLC, headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, has announced it will be providing the acid gas removal process for Projet IGCC Normandie , a project jointly developed by Total Fina Elf, Electricité de France and Texaco. The plant will gasify a variety of high sulfur refinery residues to produce power, steam, hydrogen and elemental sulfur. UOP's Selexol™ acid gas removal process will be used at the plant, which will be the first IGCC in France. The plant is slated to come on line in late 2003. Additional project details are provided in the UOP press release available on this site.

UOP is an international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, process plants, and technical services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.

Report Supports RCRA Exclusion for Gasification (5/9/00)

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a report summarizing the fundamental differences between gasification and incineration that warrant different regulatory regimes for the two technologies under U.S. environmental law governing disposal of hazardous waste.

The report, "A Comparison of Gasification and Incineration of Hazardous Wastes" , prepared by the Radian Corporation, was commissioned to provide "an independent, third-party description of waste gasification and to present information that clearly defines the differences between modern gasification and incineration technologies."

The Gasification Technologies Council has cited these differences in requesting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant an exclusion from regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for secondary materials processed in a gasifier.

The report focuses primarily on gasification of secondary oil-bearing materials in refineries in response to comments received on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to exclude such materials from RCRA hazardous waste regulation. In addition, the document addresses gasification of a wider range of secondary materials that the Gasification Technologies Council argues should also be exempt from RCRA hazardous waste jurisdiction.

The report found that, "gasification of these materials has many potential benefits when compared with conventional options such as combustion or disposal by incineration" and, "wastes are minimized and the emissions associated with their destruction by incineration are reduced."

European Gasification Conference Presentation Available (4/19/00)

The visual presentation for the speech delivered by James Childress, Executive Director of the Gasification Technologies Council, at the recent "Gasification 4 the Future" conference in Noordwijk, The Netherlands is now available on this site. The conference was sponsored by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. The next IChemE gasification conference is tentatively scheduled for April 2002.

World Gasification Survey Points to Healthy Industry Growth (3/16/00)

World gasification capacity has grown by fifty percent during the past decade. Growth is expected to accelerate, with annual capacity increases of almost ten percent expected between 2000 and 2005. These were among the findings of the 1999 World Gasification Survey conducted with the cooperation of Gasification Technologies Council members by SFA Pacific, Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy.

This is the first publicly available, comprehensive survey of the gasification industry and indicates world syngas capacity will reach just under 430 million normal cubic meters per day by 2005. This is the energy equivalent of more than 770,000 barrels of oil per day.

The results of the survey are summarized on this site. In addition a CD containing information on the 160 operating and planned gasification plants covered in the survey may be ordered using the attached form .

DOE Announces Biomass Cofiring Solicitation (2/24/00)

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory has announced a program solicitation to provide financial support for feasibility studies, small scale research and limited demonstration of cofiring of biomass with fossil fuels. Gasification-based cofiring projects are eligible for the solicitation.

The DOE anticipates two to four awards for gasification projects with an estimated range of project costs of from $1.5 to $9.0 million. Mandatory minimum cost sharing is 20% for feasibility studies/research and 50% for technology demonstration. The solicitation is available on the web at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/ . Select "Solicitations".

Primary Energy Becomes GTC Member (2/10/00)

Primary Energy, Inc., a subsidiary of NiSource, Inc., has become the newest member of the Gasification Technologies Council. Primary Energy develops, engineers, and installs cogeneration plants in large and medium scale industrial/commercial operations. Visit the Primary Energy Website for additional information about the company.

Notice to Site Visitors Requesting Information (2/9/00)

If you send a message to jchildress@gasification.org requesting gasification-related information, be sure to include your return Email address in the body of the message. Some Internet service providers and/or communications software do not include the sender's return address in the message header, so no E-mail address is available when we attempt to respond to the message.

U.S. DOE Announces "Ultra-Clean Fuels" Solicitation (2/7/00)

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory has issued a financial assistance solicitation for cost shared research and development that will lead to the production of ultra-clean transportation fuels from fossil resources. DOE expects to provide $75 million for the effort in multiple solicitations for fiscal years 2000-2005. Private sector participation ranging from 35% to 50% will be required.

The solicitation envisions project teams that include a technology developer for producing ultra-clean fuel; a producer or supplier of feedstock or fuel; and an engine/vehicle developer or manufacturer. The solicitation is available at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit .

Texaco Completes Financing for Singapore Gasification Plant (2/2/00)

Texaco has announced the closing of $175 million of project financing for the Jurong Island, Singapore gasification plant, slated to begin commercial operation by mid-2000. The project uses the Texaco Gasification Process to convert 550 metric tons per day of high sulfur fuel oil into 900 metric tons of carbon monoxide for acetic acid production and 25 million standard cubic feet of hydrogen for refinery use. For details see Texaco's news release .

Global Energy Completes Purchase of Dynegy Gasification Assets (1/20/00)

Global Energy, Inc. has announced that it completed the purchase of Dynegy Inc.'s gasification assets and technology on December 30, 1999. The purchase includes Dynegy's syngas facility at the Wabash River Coal Gasification Repowering Project in Terre Haute, Indiana, as well as the right, title and interest in Dynegy's proprietary gasification technology, including its gasification-related patents. The sale also includes the rights to Dynegy's gasification projects in development.

Global and Dynegy (formerly Destec Energy) were founding members of the Gasification Technologies Council. For complete details see the Global Energy news release .

GTC Elects Richard Olliver Chairman for 2000 (1/19/00)

Richard A. Olliver, Vice President of Corporate Strategic Development for ABB Lummus Global has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the Gasification Technologies Council for 2000. Mr. Olliver succeeds William Preston, Vice President, Project Development - North America for Texaco Global Gas and Power.

Other officers elected to the board include Phil Amick, Vice-President of Commercial Development for Global Energy Inc. (vice chairman); David Heaven, Director of Process Engineering for Fluor Daniel, Inc. (treasurer); John Mathis, esq. of the law firm of Hogan & Hartson (secretary); and James Childress, Koleda Childress Inc. (executive director).

Mr. Preston and other outgoing officers were recognized at the Council's winter meeting in Tucson, Arizona for their service to the organization. These included Mr. Olliver, who had served as vice chairman for 1998-99 and Frank Bevc, Manager, Emerging Technologies for Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation, who served as treasurer during the same period.

U.S. DOE Announces Black Liquor Gasification Solicitation (1/5/00)

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Center has announced plans to conduct a competitive solicitation and award financial assistance under a program to improve the processing of black liquor and biomass from forest products using gasification. Up to four projects may be funded with 50% cost sharing required.

Approximately $100 million of DOE funding is planned for this solicitation through the course of the program, with $14 million available in fiscal 2000. The solicitation is available at the NETL web site: http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit Top of the page