Consol's Top Coal-to-Gasoline Executive Retires


 
With apologies for formatting errors in the following, attached, story from Charleston..
 
Note, in the story, that Consol's interest in coal-to-gasoline remains "undiminished". But, they need/want a new technical/financial partner since SES has elected to withdraw.
 
There are other players.
 
First of all, Conoco-Phillips is developing CTL projects overseas. Maybe they could be persuaded to join the effort.
 
Exxon-Mobil have their MTG technology (methanol to gasoline), and are also active overseas.
 
Now, SASOL is an overseas company with the longest commercial experience in converting coal to gasoline. Simply put, they are "doing it" and have been "doing it", with success, for decades.
 
They are successful, and they have the wherewithal.
 
They have established a US subsidiary, for whom I provided you contact info.
 
If you haven't called them yet, on the behalf of all West Virginians, perhaps you should all get together and make a pilgrimage to their HQ in Houston.
 
And, in case you missed the point - Consol HAS, or HAD, a top Coal-to-Gasoline Executive. They must think this is pretty real. Maybe you should track the guy down and interview him. You might get some insight.
 
This stuff is real. The fact that the reality hasn't yet been manifested in WV is a shame.
 
Joe the Miner
 

Consol's top coal-to-gasoline executive retires

Charleston Daily Mail - Tuesday, January 27, 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va.--The Consol Energy executive who headed the company's effort to build a coal-to-gasoline plant in Marshall County has retired but Consol's interest in the project "remains undiminished," said company spokesman Thomas Hoffman.

Paul Spurgeon retired effective last week. "It doesn't mean anything for the project," Hoffman said. "We are still interested in pursuing some sort of a conversion project in the Ohio Valley."

Consol's technology partner in the $800 million project, Synthesis Energy Systems Inc., dropped out in October. When Consol and SES announced the project in July, oil was trading at more than $100 a barrel. The price has declined dramatically since then. The economy also has slowed. When SES dropped out, it said it was doing so "due to the difficult financial environment."

Hoffman said on Monday, "You remember when we said that the SES partnership had been dissolved that we needed to find another technology partner. We are still discussing that with people. We're continuing to do evaluations and would very much like to develop an alternative market for our coal.

"With our economy being the way it is, I don't know that I'm particularly clairvoyant about when that project will be done but our interest remains undiminished," he said.

Spurgeon said last month that his company was still optimistic it would build a coal-to-liquids plant in the Northern Panhandle. He said Consol was still "fully committed" to the project. He estimated that the project has been delayed by four to six months because SES had dropped out.

Hoffman is not sure who will become Consol's lead coal-to-liquids executive. He said the company is "still discussing our second-tier organizational changes that are needed as a result of the changes we announced last week. In terms of who's going to head up specific projects, those are things that will probably be decided in coming weeks."

Consol did not announce Spurgeon's retirement. "There were a number of changes in the organization," Hoffman said. "We only announced externally the senior-level people."

The company did announce last Tuesday the consolidation of the management of Consol Energy and its majority-owned subsidiary CNX Gas Corp. under Consol CEO Brett Harvey.

Consol also announced the retirement of Peter Lilly, president of the company's coal business.

While at Consol, Lilly successfully negotiated a new contract between the Bituminous Coal Operators Association and the UMWA; completed the integration of the former AMVEST mining operations into Consol; and served as Consol's representative on the boards of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Waterways Council Inc. and the World Coal Institute.

Lilly, 60, is a native of Beckley. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and has a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University. He joined Consol in 2002. He had been president and CEO of Triton Coal Co. and Vulcan Coal Holdings.  Before that he held senior management positions with Peabody Holding Company Inc., now Peabody Energy.