Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. announced that Plum Energy LLC will construct an LNG plant on property adjacent to Alpha Coal West Inc.’s Eagle Butte Mine, near Gillette, Wyoming. Scheduled to come online in March 2015, the Plum Energy facility will supply LNG to Alpha Coal West’s mine haul trucks and will be able to produce 28,500 gallons of LNG a day. Besides, Plum Energy has designed an LNG refueling station that will be built on-site at Eagle Butte, which will be capable to service eight trucks simultaneously.
“We are delighted to assist in bringing cleaner burning, lower cost LNG to Alpha Coal West and to Wyoming,” said Kirt Montague, CEO of Plum Energy. “This project not only will reduce fuel costs for Alpha Coal West, but will also help solidify supply lines for other LNG users in the Powder River Basin.”
Alpha Coal West began testing LNG technologies developed by GFS Corp. in trucks at the Belle Ayr Mine in 2012, beginning a pilot program of the world’s first LNG-powered mine haul trucks. After 18 months of daily operation, they decided to proceed with the conversion to LNG of its Caterpillar 793 haul trucks at the nearby Eagle Butte Mine. Alpha Coal West expects the alterations to the trucks, each of which is capable of hauling 240-tons of coal, or the equivalent of two railroad cars, to be completed by the end of 2014.
Alpha Natural Resources President Paul Vining also stated, “The construction of the LNG plant fits with ongoing efforts to control costs. Switching the Alpha Coal West fleet to the combined use of LNG and diesel will also lead to more efficient operation and longer engine life for the trucks.”
Source: Alpha Natural Resources
