Adaro terus berkembang di 2013 - The ASIA Miner

Product News
Australian technology in coal energy milestone
TECHNOLOGY developed by an Australian
company is behind a major coal upgrading
milestone announced for New Zealand’s coal
energy sector. South Australian-based GTL
Energy and New Zealand Government-owned
Solid Energy New Zealand jointly announced
they had achieved sustained production runs at
New Zealand’s first commercial coal upgrading
plant utilizing GTL Energy’s coal upgrading
technology.
The companies have signed an agreement for
the formation of a joint venture company,
GTLE Development Ltd, to focus on the operation
of the plant, further project development
and deployment of the technology globally.
Solid Energy is commissioning its Mataura briquette
plant in Southland, which will produce
lignite briquettes for New Zealand’s South
Island energy market using GTL Energy’s technology.
The technology involves converting lowgrade
coal into higher-rank fuel by the removal
of moisture from the coal and converting it into
briquettes which feature higher energy content,
reduced emissions, improved handling and
transportation characteristics and increased
market value.
Once fully commissioned, the Mataura plant
will be operated by GTLE Development
through a wholly-owned New Zealand subsidiary
to annually produce up to 90,000 tonnes
of low-moisture and higher-energy briquettes
from about 150,000 tonnes of lignite.
The joint-venture company will manage briquette
production at the Mataura plant, trial the
product in international thermal export coal
markets and focus on developing and deploying
the upgrading technology globally. Solid
Energy will have a 20% stake in GTLE and will
continue to own the Mataura plant.
Feedstock for the plant will come from Solid
Energy’s nearby New Vale Mine and will be
transformed into a high energy product for the
joint venture under a tolling arrangement which
underpins continuous production.
This product will support the domestic market
development along with proof of technology
for global deployment. Solid Energy will
market the product to its South Island customers
with trials due to begin shortly.
Solid Energy and GTLE are in consultation
with staff at the plant about transferring their
employment to the GTLE New Zealand subsidiary.
In addition to the Mataura plant and its
United States commercial demonstration plant
in North Dakota, GTLE has plant projects
under various stages of development in
Indonesia and Australia, and opportunities
under review in the USA and Europe.
Solid Energy’s group manager coal developments
Brett Gamble says, “We have worked
closely with GTL Energy over many years, and
the opportunity to combine our collective
expertise and assets to accelerate commercialization
and deployment of the technology
makes a lot of sense for both of us. We are
excited about the future of this proposed venture
and believe the transformation of low rank
high moisture coal into higher energy briquettes
has potential to create significant value.”
GTL Energy’s CEO Fred Schulte, who will
also be CEO of GTLE, says, “This deal will
create a company with the ability to accelerate
technology deployment. The achievement of
continuous, safe and reliable production at the
New Zealand plant will provide the demonstration
that is expected to support more widespread
adoption. We will now have a production
facility, engineering and operating capabilities
in a single organization. The new entity
will be looking beyond a technology licensing
business model and moving into project development,
ownership and operations. Despite
challenging coal and capital markets, we have
exciting projects which make sense regardless
of market timing, and we look forward to bringing
these into fruition through 2013.”
38 l Coal Age Indonesia l April 2013