Coal Conversion Plan To Be Developed

Gov. Joe Manchin III has announced that leading industry consultants will develop a plan and conceptual design for a coal-to-liquids manufacturing facility in West Virginia. The industry-funded plan will support the governor’s Coal Conversion Initiative, a public/private partnership to make West Virginia a leader in alternative uses for coal. “This plan will focus on the technical elements and basis for moving forward with a coal conversion facility in West Virginia,” Manchin said. “The plan will provide a foundation for the private sector to advance development of West Virginia’s first coal-to-liquids manufacturing facility,” the governor said.

The plan is sponsored by American Electric Power subsidiary Appalachian Power Co., as well as by Energy Village, a non-profit organization that promotes energy-focused economic development. The plan will be developed by American Electric Power Service Corporation, with key inputs provided by Worley Parsons, GE Energy and CONSOL Energy. Worley Parsons is a global engineering and consulting firm. GE Energy, a division of the General Electric Company, is a provider of coal gasification and related coal conversion and power generation technologies. CONSOL Energy is the largest U.S. producer of coal from underground mines.