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Gold/Mining/Energy : Gasification Technologies -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dennis Roth who wrote (1416)	7/16/2008 10:32:23 AM
From: Dennis Roth	Respond to of 1740

Energy summit to focus on gasification facility By Rena Delbridge Published Wednesday, July 16, 2008 newsminer.com FAIRBANKS — High-ranking federal and state officials will be in Fairbanks this week for an energy summit hosted by borough Mayor Jim Whitaker and U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens to fast-track a plant to turn coal and biomass into power, fuel and heat for Interior Alaska. Officials attending include U.S. Department of Energy Undersecretary Bud Albright Jr., and Kevin Billings, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Energy and Environment. Alaska’s Washington, D.C., delegation and state Speaker of the House Rep. John Harris, R-Valdez, are expected to attend, as well. Gov. Sarah Palin was invited but hasn’t confirmed her plans. Whitaker said the summit will hopefully solidify federal and state support for the Interior Energy Plan that the borough and the Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation have been working on for more than three years. Heating and fueling costs have increased exponentially during that time, prompting Whitaker and others to push for quick action on a plant. Attendees will hear from experts in resources, transportation, technology and more on Friday morning at Wedgewood Resort, followed by a question-and-answer period. The group is scheduled for dinner and a reception at Chena Hot Springs, where discussions will continue Saturday morning. Each party will be asked to pledge support and to consider what they can bring to the table to build the facility. “We recognize that it will take a bit of time, but not much, in order for the participants of this summit to be fully authorized (to act),” Whitaker said. “The intent is to fast-track this.” Making sure planning is complete and funding is in place will fast-track the project, he explained. Local proponents are also hoping for a military commitment to site the facility at Eielson Air Force Base and to purchase fuel, a key component in bringing a plant online quickly, Whitaker said. Meanwhile, FEDC and the borough anticipate a report this fall from Toronto-based consultant Hatch Ltd. that should identify the best options and costs for building a gasification facility. As proposed, such a plant would turn coal and biomass into gas, then use the Fischer-Tropsch process to turn the gas into liquid fuel for space heating and transportation. Additional gas would be used to power turbines to generate electricity. The same raw materials, coal and biomass, could also be gasified as synthetic fuels. The Air Force could be a critical market for those synthetic fuels. The Fischer-Tropsch process was developed in Germany in the 1920s. The process has been used for several decades to fuel vehicles in South Africa. Whitaker and Stevens are hosting the energy summit with support from FEDC. Contact staff writer Rena Delbridge at 459-7518.