Thought these articles may be of some interest regarding altered plans for future CTL(GTL) projects.
It obviously has no direct relationship with CTP but nevertheless it's an interesting read.
Fuel clean-up put aside as too costly
ROYAL Dutch Shell and Anglo American have delivered a massive blow to Victoria, announcing the shelving of a proposed $5 billion coal-toliquids project in the Latrobe Valley because of cost blowouts.
Monash Energy, the company jointly owned by Shell arid Anglo American, said market conditions made it unfeasible to move ahead with the project.
Both the Federal and Victorian governments have been promoting coal-to-liquids as a cleaner transport fuel because it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. It also reduces dependence on overseas fuel markets and creates export opportunities.
Roger Bounds, Monash Energy project director, said the company was not walking away from the project entirely. "Monash Energy, and its owners Shell and Anglo American, believe that in the long term coal-to-liquids may provide an opportunity for Victoria to provide domestically produced clean liquid fuels," he said. "However, at this stage, critical requirements for this project are not yet in place. The reasons for this include higher capital cost estimates and escalated construction costs." The Monash project was the first to be nominated for development under a clean coal energy alliance formed in May 2006 between Europe ’s biggest oil company and the world ’s fourth-biggest diversified mining company.
The partners planned to invest almost $20 million in the two years from September 2007 in technical and commercial studies to identify the best way to set up the plant. The Monash project involves converting brown coal from Anglo ’s deposits in the Latrobe Valley into synthetic gas for processing into zero-sulphur synthetic diesel. Carbon dioxide emitted during the process would be extracted in a concentrated stream for transport to underground injection wells using a carbon capture and storage technology. Emma Tyner, a spokeswoman for Energy Minister Peter Batchelor, said the decision was disappointing but that the Federal Government ’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme would provide industry with more investment certainty.
"Monash Energy, like other companies, needs to ensure its coal-to-liquids project stacks up economically and environmentally," she said.
As Monash Energy put its project on the back-burner DME Clean Energy said it planned to build a demonstration plant in the Latrobe Valley in collaboration with HRL Limited to convert brown coal into a liquid fuel called dimethylether.
Ron Delmenico, DME Clean Energy managing director, said if the demonstration plant is successful it would look to build a number of plants in Victoria. "Each of these commercial DME plants will consume about 1500 tonnes of wet brown coal per day and will return $12 million to $15 million per year in economic benefits to the local community," he said. With BLOOMBERG LINK ~ monashenergy.com.au
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