Linc Energy which is building a synthetic diesel plant in Queensland using coal, expects to start up its demonstration plant within the next few days, managing director Peter Bond said.
"I'd say the plant will start production within the next couple of days. We just need two to three days to work on a couple of focus points and then we will be producing liquids," Mr Bond said in a telephone interview from Brisbane.
The demonstration plant, producing about 10 barrels per day (bpd) of sulphur-free diesel, will be followed by a larger, $900 million ($US751 million) facility, which may start up in 2011, Mr Bond said. The full-scale plant will produce about 20,000 bpd.
Linc, which announced a partnership with China's Xinwen Mining Group earlier this month to develop gas resources from Chinese coal deposits, was also planning to expand into North America and was already in talks with several parties.
Mr Bond said Linc, which sold two of its coking coal exploration permits to Xinwen for $1.5 billion ($US1.2 billion) earlier in September, could potentially have another coking coal tenement to sell.
"We're drilling at the asset now and we should have a definitive result in the next four to six weeks. I'm comfortable to say that will probably be a good asset to sell," Bond said.
Shares in Linc, which has a market value of $1.92 billion, have surged more than fivefold since the start of the year.
LNC Price at posting:
$4.89 Sentiment: LT Buy Disclosure: Held