Peabody picks Kentucky
01:18 PM EDT on Monday, October 29, 2007
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentucky worked hard to get it and it appears that the hard work has paid off. Peabody Energy has chosen Kentucky as the site for its new $3 billion plant to turn coal into natural gas.
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said Peabody’s decision to focus solely on Kentucky is comparable to economic impact to when Toyota and UPS announced plans to build big operations in the state.
Governor Ernie Fletcher said the deal puts Kentucky in the forefront of states that are trying to make the nation less dependent on foreign oil. But there are some doubts about whether the plant will be built.
“We have selected this particular state, so we have to go through that process. As he said, we wouldn’t spend the money if we didn’t feel like it was going to eventually be a reality. But you never know till all the engineering work’s done, the capital costs are in and they’re totaled up and we want to make sure it’s economical,” said Rick Bowen of Peabody Energy.
The state of Kentucky has approved up to $200 million in tax incentives for this plant, which will be built somewhere in western Kentucky, presumably close to where Peabody already has facilities.
Governor Fletcher says that even if Peabody does not end up building that plant, they will still provide hundreds of jobs while they’re looking at the feasibility.
You may wonder why the announcement is being made eight days before the election. Governor Fletcher says he would have liked to have made this announcement a long time ago, but that it didn’t hurt coming just over a week before Election Day.
Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.
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From The Associated Press:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Peabody Energy and ConocoPhillips have settled on Kentucky for a proposed $3 billion plant that would convert coal into a cleaner-burning synthetic natural gas.
Peabody Energy executive Rick Bowen said a feasibility study will focus exclusively on sites in western Kentucky.
“This review will continue into next year, followed by a detailed engineering and design study,” Bowen said Monday. “Completing the feasibility study and preliminary engineering and design work will be necessary before selection of a final site and ultimately, a final investment decision by our project managers.”
St. Louis-based Peabody had considered several locations in Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana for the proposed plant. But the search was narrowed to Kentucky after the state Economic Development Finance Authority agreed last week to provide Peabody $250 million in tax incentives.
Bowen said the proposed plant would employ 400 to 500 people in both the conversion plant and in an adjacent coal mine in either Henderson, Union, Ohio, Webster or Muhlenberg counties. The plant would use about 2.5 million tons of coal per year.
An economic impact study performed by the Kentucky Office of Research and Information Technology estimates the construction phase alone would generate 1,200 jobs worth about $229 million.
“The project will create hundreds of jobs and provide extraordinary long-term economic benefits for the citizens of Kentucky,” Gov. Ernie Fletcher said. “Peabody has had a long-standing presence in Kentucky and will continue to be an important partner in achieving energy security within the state.”
Peabody is the world’s largest private-sector coal company, with 2006 sales of 248 million tons of coal and $5.3 billion in revenue. Its coal products fuel approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity and more than 2 percent of worldwide electricity.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Press Release from Governor Fletcher's office:
FRANKFORT, Ky. - Governor Ernie Fletcher today joined Rick Bowen of Peabody Energy in making the highly anticipated announcement that Kentucky Syngas LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Peabody Energy Corp., has narrowed its focus exclusively to Kentucky as it evaluates sites for a $3 billion synthetic natural gas facility.
The historic project would result in one of the largest commercial coal-to-natural gas facility in the United States. The announcement today in Louisville follows the preliminary approval of Kentucky Syngas for up to $250 million in inducements by the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority under Kentucky's new Incentives for Energy Independence Act.
Governor Fletcher's leadership in developing a comprehensive energy policy for Kentucky successfully resulted in the passage of HB 1, the energy incentive legislation, in the Second Extraordinary Session of the 2007 Kentucky General Assembly. The legislation gives energy companies an incentive to build plants in Kentucky that will convert coal, corn and other products into clean fuels.
"Today marks a historic day in Kentucky's path toward energy security," said Governor Fletcher. "Approval of Kentucky Syngas under Kentucky's new Incentives for Energy Independence Act shows the commonwealth's commitment to becoming a national leader in the alternative fuels industry."
Kentucky Syngas will convert coal and petroleum coke into substitute natural gas, annually producing approximately 50 billion to 70 billion cubic feet of pipeline quality synthetic natural gas from more than 2.5 million tons of Kentucky-sourced coal.
Natural gas demand has grown rapidly in recent years, and development of coal-to-gas projects is gaining increasing interest. The project will use proprietary ConocoPhillips "E-GAS(tm)" technology and will be developed with the capability to capture and store carbon dioxide.
Gasification has been used for the refining, chemical and power industries for more than 50 years. E-GAS(tm) technology converts coal or petroleum coke into a clean synthesis gas, allowing virtually all impurities to be removed.
"Kentucky is on the nation's leading edge in developing a new, clean alternative fuels industry using its abundant supply of coal to create hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars of investments in the state," said Bowen, Peabody's president of generation and BTU conversion. "We appreciate the bipartisan support for our project and the hard work that has taken place to bring us to this important milestone."
The search for a Kentucky site has been narrowed to a five-county region - Henderson, Union, Ohio, Webster and Muhlenberg counties. The final location will be determined following completion of a feasibility study expected next year.
An economic impact study performed by the Cabinet for Economic Development's Office of Research and Information Technology indicates the construction phase alone would have a tremendous effect on Kentucky's economy. The potential one-time direct economic impact of the anticipated 1,200 construction jobs would be approximately $229.1 million.
An estimated 175 direct jobs would be created upon completion of the project, with an additional 375 jobs to be realized related to coal mining operations in the production of coal feedstock.
"The project will create hundreds of jobs and provide extraordinary long-term economic benefits for the citizens of Kentucky," said Governor Fletcher. "Peabody has had a longstanding presence in Kentucky and will continue to be an important partner in achieving energy security within the state."
Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) is the world's largest private-sector coal company, with 2006 sales of 248 million tons of coal and $5.3 billion in revenue. Its coal products fuel approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity and more than 2 percent of worldwide electricity. |
