The Associated Press reported today that an Australian company plans to build a coal processing plant in southeastern Montana, near the Wyoming border. The plan will be designed to reduce the moisture content of coal through the use of a high-temperature heat process. According to company officials, the heat-processed coal would allow coal-fired electrical plants to generate more power with less fuel, thereby cutting greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 10%.The proposed plant would also produce 1.6 million gallons of synthetic crude annually.
Construction of the plant, estimated to cost $375 million, is scheduled to begin in 2010. Initial annual output of processed coal is projected to be approximately 5 million tons, with a long-range goal of 17 million annually. The company, Ambre Energy, is currently seeking an 80% loan guarantee through a $10 billion program announced by the U.S. Department of Energy last year. The purpose of the program is to promote renewable energy and other technologies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.
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