Published: December 7, 2020 | Share This

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CONSOL Energy Inc., whose underground coal mining complex in Pennsylvania is the largest in North America, is working to design a power plant and have it operating by 2027.

The innovative project would run on wet waste coal from CONSOL’s mining operation, capture its emissions and include the development of a deep underground carbon dioxide storage hub in southwestern Pennsylvania. Construction could begin by 2024.

“This is a phenomenal example of the innovation occurring in the mining industry. Using technology to maximize our resources, minimize waste and create sustainable, long-term benefit is the goal, and CONSOL is on the leading edge of that movement,” said Chris Hamilton, president of the West Virginia Coal Association.

The proposed plant, still in the planning stages, is one of four that will split an estimated $80 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance the project’s design to a stage where an investment decision is possible.

CONSOL is proposing to build a 300-megawatt plant using a modular, high-efficiency, low-air pollution technology called pressurized fluidized bed combustion.

A benefit of the technology is its ability to run on a range of fuels — including the 3 million tons of fine wet waste coal that CONSOL sends to disposal ponds each year after it washes and processes its mined coal at its central preparation plant in Greene County.

For the company, using coal waste means turning an environmental liability into free fuel.

Source: West Virginia Coal Association

To stop by CONSOL’s website, CLICK HERE

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