fellowes,do some research on the approval process for slurry...

fellowes,

do some research on the approval process for slurry pipelines around the world. They are not easy beasts to make feasible and find funding for.

i doubt a slurry pipeline will be the end result.
plus it still doesn't change the fact that you will still have to upgrade the capacity at the port itself.

i challenge anybody to show me that transporting brown coal with 60%+ (because you add water to make a slurry) of its mass as water is cheaper (inclusive of capex dep)than dewatering at minesite and rail transporting a value add coal with 12% of its mass as water to the port.

For one, it allows you to use the value add product at the point at which the majority of enviro benefits reside (ie for more efficient electricity generation)