In yet another US Department of Energy coal liquefaction study, another one that no regular US citizen, dependent on the coal industry in US Coal Country, who paid the taxes that, ultimately, paid for the study, has ever heard of, the University of North Dakota was engaged to assess the economics of coal conversion into liquid fuels.
The excerpt, with comment following:
"United States Department of Energy
Office of Fossil Energy
Project Fact Sheet
Project ID: DE-FC26-08NT43291-03.3
Title: Feasibility of Direct Coal Liquefaction in The Modern Economic Climate
Performer: University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center
Project Contact: Oster, Benjamin G; (701) 777-5203
Fossil Energy Contact: Stipanovich, John; (412) 386-6027 - (a Pittsburgh, PA, number - JtM)
Contract Specialist: Cary, Anne; (412) 386-5885
Project Description:
Direct coal liquefaction (DCL) refers to the process of converting coal directly into liquid fuels. DCL has the potential to harness the United States' vast supply of coal, thus reducing or eliminating dependence on foreign oil. The purpose of this study is to revisit DCL by surveying the literature and to determine if DCL makes more sense in today's world than it did 20 years earlier."
Of course, they don't openly present any substantive data, for whatever suspect reason. But, if all they were doing was "surveying the literature ... to determine if DCL makes more sense in today's world than it did 20 years" ago, then all they had to do, really, was call Sasol, in South Africa.
They've been making profitable "sense" out of coal liquefaction for many more than twenty years. And, we've already documented, from numerous sources, that CTL made sense "20 years ago".
Given what's happened with the world supply and pricing of conventional liquid petroleum, coal liquefaction now could be making a lot more than just "sense", or cents, it could be making Dollars, many of them, for West Virginia and the rest of US Coal Country.
Time for us all to wake up and count the change, and "to harness the United States' vast supply of coal".