Representatives of the High Plains Gasification-Advanced Technology Center (HPG-ATC) provided a project update to the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Interim Committee of the Wyoming State Legislature today (Monday) in Jackson.
Keith White, director of gasification products for GE Energy in Houston, and Bill Gern, University of Wyoming vice president of research and economic development, summarized the key milestones for 2010, including submission of an air quality permit and the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) study to be completed by year's end.
The FEED is expected to provide project construction cost estimates and help in the identification of a design build contractor.
Through fiscal year 2009 through 2010, project expenditures are forecast to be approximately $10 million to complete site selection, prepare permitting materials and advance substantial portions of facility engineering and design.
"We are very pleased with the work to date," Gern said. "We are beginning to see the tangible results of our efforts in preliminary project schematics. By the end of FEED, we will be better able to provide a sense of the size, scale, operations and technology that of what will be a first-rate research facility."
The HPG-ATC is expected to consist of a small-scale gasification system that would allow UW and GE Energy researchers to develop and validate advanced coal gasification technology solutions for Powder River Basin and other Wyoming coals. The plant is expected to allow engineers to gain experience in advanced coal gasification processes including the uses of synthesis gas that is produced by the gasification process. It also will provide students an opportunity to learn about coal gasification.
For more information about the HPG-ATC, visit the official Web site at www.uwyo.edu/hpg-atc.
Posted on Monday, September 20, 2010
