Cleaner Coal Coming to Wyoming
By Bobby Poitveint
June 16, 2017 - Clean Coal Technologies is a New York-based company with big plans for the Wyoming coal industry.
Clean Coal Technologies officers say they plan to build several plants here.
That could mean more jobs and a boost to Wyoming’s coal industry.
After establishing a test plant in Sheridan, company manager’s plan building two more plants in undisclosed locations around Wyoming.
But what is their plan?
Robin Eves says, "The answer is a more efficient use of coal and by producing a more efficient coal and our technology does that and by doing that you burn less coal and automatically reduces the carbon footprint. We believe that it will also reestablish the PBR coal as a major competitor in the coal market. Which we believe is the future of the coal market her in the United States."
Eves says, Clean Coal Technologies patented technology to reduce chemical pollutants from coal such as sulfur by ninety percent.
But how does this technology work?
"Dehydration technologies extracts water from the coal, increases the BTU value but more importantly it stabilizes the coal. The coal then will not reabsorb water and will not self-combust and it is ash free. It’s a totally clean product to transport,” says Eves.
Drew Perkins with the Wyoming legislature says this is a big deal for Wyoming’s coal industry. He says new jobs are on the way.
"It will be exciting for both high tech, low tech and jobs for young people that either want to work with their hands or they want to work with their minds and computers. It’s going to be an opportunity for everyone."
But it means more to the state then just jobs.
"Majority of revenue for the state of Wyoming comes from various sources of mineral, source of mineral severance taxes not to mention all the employment and the other things that happen in the mineral industries."
After a downhill slide in Wyoming’s coal industry, there is hope for the state's biggest source of revenue.
Construction for the Sheridan test plant will start in October.
All three plants will be built and operated in Wyoming.