|
U.S. Department of Energy Awards
Peabody's Mustang Energy Project With
a Clean Coal Power Initiative Grant
ST. LOUIS, Oct 14,
2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/
-- U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer
Abraham today announced that Peabody's
Mustang Energy project will be presented
with a $19.7 million Clean Coal Power
Initiative grant for demonstrating
technology to achieve ultra-low emissions
at the proposed 300 megawatt generating
station near Grants, N.M.
The Clean Coal Power
Initiative was established by Congress
to assist with research and development
of technologies to improve emissions
from coal-fueled electric generating
plants. Mustang is one of a number
of grant recipients.
The Mustang Energy
project is under development by Peabody
using lands and coal reserves owned
by the company. If successfully completed,
the project would provide clean, low-cost
electricity for Southwest families
and would create skilled, high-paying
jobs and millions of dollars in annual
economic benefits.
Mustang would be
built near Peabody's Lee Ranch Coal
Company operations and would be fueled
by about 1 million tons of coal each
year. The power plant and coal mine
would create 150 to 200 permanent
jobs and would annually inject more
than $15 million into the New Mexico
economy in wages and benefits. "This
project showcases the value of coal
to our nation's energy security,"
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham
said. "Coal is our most abundant
energy resource and, when it's used
to power a clean coal plant such as
Peabody's Mustang Energy project,
it benefits everyone involved."
"Our goal for
Mustang is to demonstrate technology
that will continue to improve emissions
from coal-fueled generating plants,"
said Roger B. Walcott Jr., Peabody's
Executive Vice President for Corporate
Development. "Peabody will continue
to advocate research, development
and deployment of advanced clean coal
technologies."
Under the grant,
Peabody would team up with Airborne
Clean Energy, Veolia Water North America
and Icon Construction in a commercial-scale
demonstration of the Airborne Process(TM)
scrubber, regeneration and fertilizer
production systems.
The Department of
Energy grant would be used to create
a commercial scale demonstration of
proprietary technology that operates
in a manner similar to a traditional
scrubber system. The system will employ
sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in
the scrubber and is expected to achieve
99.5 percent removal of sulfur dioxide,
98 percent removal of nitrogen oxide
and 90 percent removal of mercury.
Byproducts from the scrubbing process
-- sulfur and nitrogen -- will be
used to create high value, granular
fertilizer. The Mustang demonstration
would be the largest application of
the Airborne technology to date.
In addition to the
ultra efficient scrubbing system,
Mustang will minimize emissions and
water use by employing low-NOx burners,
fabric filtration and a dry cooling
system. Mustang will repay the Department
of Energy grant as the technology
is demonstrated.
The site for Mustang
was selected for its access to coal,
land, transmission and rail services.
The permit for the mine to supply
Mustang's coal has been submitted
to the state, and the project will
require additional environmental review
and permitting. Mustang would move
forward after permitting is completed,
the majority of the plant's electricity
is sold and a partner is identified.
Peabody Energy (NYSE:
BTU) is the world's largest private-sector
coal company, with 2003 sales of 203
million tons and $2.8 billion in revenues.
Its coal products fuel more than 10
percent of all U.S. electricity and
more than 2.5 percent of worldwide
electricity.
Airborne Clean Energy,
based in Terrace Park, Ohio, owns
the proprietary Airborne Process(TM)
for reducing emissions from coal-fueled
generating plants. Airborne Clean
Energy holds the exclusive rights
to the patented Airborne technology
throughout the United States and Canada.
Veolia Water Systems
is a subsidiary of Veolia Environment
(Euronext Paris: VIE) (NYSE: VE),
which is the largest environmental
services company in the world with
more than 295,000 employees in about
100 countries and annual revenues
of more than $25.6 billion.
Icon, Inc., headquartered
in Dayton, Ohio, is a private minority
corporation that specializes in providing
engineering, construction and facility
operating services for industrial
applications. Icon's extensive experience
with pan granulation, agglomeration
and material handling is directly
applicable to Airborne's fertilizer
production facility.
Editor's Note: The
U.S. Department of Energy will host
a 2 p.m. news conference to announce
the grant on Thursday, Oct. 14 at
the Inn at Loretto in Santa Fe, 211
Old Santa Fe Trail. A schematic showing
the proposed plant technology and
a location map may be downloaded at
www.PeabodyEnergy.com.
CONTACT:
Beth Sutton
(314) 342-7798
SOURCE: Peabody
Energy
Beth Sutton of Peabody
Energy, +1-314-342-7798
http://www.peabodyenergy.com
|
