LNG to power Alpha’s mine haul trucks

Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. has 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.

The Plum Energy facility will supply LNG to Alpha Coal West's mine haul vehicles, producing cost efficiencies and fuel savings for its mining operations.

Mine haul trucks

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 operation, Alpha Coal West decided to proceed with the conversion to LNG of its 16 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 to be completed by the end of 2014.

Plum Energy's LNG plant at the Eagle Butte Mine, scheduled to come online in March 2015, will be able to produce 28,500 gallons of LNG a day. In addition, Plum Energy has designed an LNG refuelling station that will be constructed on-site at Eagle Butte, which will be capable of refuelling eight trucks simultaneously.

Comments

Commenting on the project, Kirt Montague, Plum Energy CEO, stated: "We are delighted to assist in bringing cleaner burning, lower cost LNG to Alpha Coal West and to Wyoming. 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 Natural Resources President, Paul Vining continued: "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."

Jason Green, President of GFS Corp, added: "We are excited by this development. Alpha Natural Resources continues to demonstrate their vision of a more sustainable and efficient future for mining operations. They have been a terrific partner and we are committed to continuing to provide them with state of the art natural gas and diesel solutions for their fleet."

LNG demand

Alpha Coal West's demand for LNG is expected to be approximately 6400 gallons a day to fuel its trucks. As the plant grows, excess product can be sold to other companies in the area as they convert their haul trucks and other equipment to the lower emission and cost-efficient LNG.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/22092014/lng-fuel-for-alpha-natural-resources-trucks-1439/