Western Railroad Discussion > Medicine Bow, WY to become an energy research locus?

The Wall Street Journal has an article today about plans by a Chinese company to construct a two billion dollar coal to gasoline plant in Medicine Bow, WY. The project is expected to produce thousands of construction jobs over a five year period.

Sinopec, an energy champion company, will utilize US and Chinese technology to process coal and carbon dioxide recapture at the site.

>>

In the Wyoming project, some materials potentially including things like steel could be sourced from China as a way to keep costs down. "To compete in the world-wide market for this type of project you've got to be able to source it at the lowest cost," said DKRW's Mr. Kelly.

The company says the Medicine Bow project will also benefit the local economy, creating up to 2,300 construction jobs and 400 full-time jobs when the facility goes into operation. "Clean coal" facilities can be complicated by high project costs and promising but at times unproven technologies.

Sinopec has previously pursued similar work in the U.S. power industry. In September, Seattle-based Summit Power Group LLC said Sinopec Engineering will manage construction of a critical portion of the Texas Clean Energy Project, a planned power-generating facility near Odessa. The facility will be funded by state-owned Export-Import Bank of China, and is in line to receive $450 million in U.S. federal funding.<<

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204789304578086391876177054.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

Can you imagine what an impact this size of project would have on tiny,population 300, Medicine Bow. Nearest town is Laramie at 60 miles southeast. Add to that some really brutal winter weather and I don't think many families would relish moving there.

Dick
Roosevelt, Utah

Perhaps the Chinese will expatriate workers from Mongolia to do the construction work. They would probably find the climate balmy.

Medicine Bow has always been a kind town when I have visited. There have been more than a few nights in The Virginian hotel.

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2ebright Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can you imagine what an impact this size of
> project would have on tiny,population 300,
> Medicine Bow. Nearest town is Laramie at 60 miles
> southeast. Add to that some really brutal winter
> weather and I don't think many families would
> relish moving there.
>
> Dick
> Roosevelt, Utah


people who are unemployed with families to feed will stand in line to fill out job applications for any good paying energy sector job NO MATTER where it is located.........

66

3500 construction jobs is likely more than the development phases of several big Powder River strip mines, combined

IF this project comes to fruition, it will probably mean a lot of business for the Union Pacific. And a lot of ancillary infrastructure like cell phone buildouts, road widening, sewer and sewage, food and restaurants, hotel / motel space, etc. Probably an airport, too.

Didn't know you could make gasoline from coal. Seems a different approach than using corn or bio-something projects.

If it's an Foreign company can they export their gasoline or is there a requirement to keep that in the US? How would Gas from Coal work with all the blended formulas for modern gasoline?
tia.

This must all be the same proposed project:

http://www.americanfuelscoalition.com/2012/01/18/bonds-approved/

http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/gasification/gasifipedia/6-apps/6-3-5_projects.html

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming-coal-to-gasoline-plant-one-of-only-two-under/article_506b7b4c-1748-50cc-9f4c-9c9daae20b5a.html



Allen



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/12 11:42 by bradleymckay.

Does anyone know if there is coal on site or will it be railed in? I believe there was a similar plant proposed near Hanna.

Powder River Basin coal is north and east of Medicine Bow. Hanna coal is west. PRB is strip mined, Hanna is underground. Hanna is higher BTU and probably more desirable for conversion. Medicine Bow likely has more water available than the PRB.

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Coal to gasoline was how the 3rd Reich ran the war for Germany, process has been around for many years.

rehunn Wrote:
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> Coal to gasoline was how the 3rd Reich ran the war
> for Germany, process has been around for many
> years.

also used in South Africa during the sanctions due to apartheid

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 2ebright Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can you imagine what an impact this size of
> > project would have on tiny,population 300,
> > Medicine Bow. Nearest town is Laramie at 60
> miles
> > southeast. Add to that some really brutal
> winter
> > weather and I don't think many families would
> > relish moving there.
> >
> > Dick
> > Roosevelt, Utah
>
>
> people who are unemployed with families to feed
> will stand in line to fill out job applications
> for any good paying energy sector job NO MATTER
> where it is located.........
>
> 66

You would think that,.. but but a lot of americans won't move away even if they are stuggeling to find work. AND IT BOGGLES MY MIND.
I work in Pennslyvannia in the mighty marcellus shale gas field and even though there is a lull in gas production up here there are still plenty of jobs available up here (to anyone who can pass a drug test...which amazingly knocks out a lot of canidates.!) and once gas production picks back up there is going to an unbelevable shortage of workers. And the same thing is going on in North Dakota and Alberta. Back in the great depression when jobs were scarce people went traveling across the country looking for work (that's where Hobos came from) and you would think in these hard times more people would get up and go where the work is, even if it meant moving,...after all that's what I did and it has paid off. LIFE AIN'T EASY, IT'S ALL WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/12 19:36 by alco539.

If the government pays you to not work,
That is exactly what some people will do.
Sid.

I couldn't appreciate the vastness of the West until I moved out here and started driving around in it. A town of 300 people in the middle of "nowhere" is going to have to gear up its infrastructure to take care of a few thousand new arrivals. Are the Chinese going to pay for that?

There's a huge shortage of people with roughneck oil worker skills, as well as a shortage of people with petroleum engineer skills. Drillers, seismic, etc.

There's also a huge shortage of housing in many boom areas, with people living in tents, camper trucks, etc.

No shortage of opportunities for people willing to look for them, and who can pass the drug and criminal background checks. (Many people would be amazed at how many blue chip candidates for manager, etc positions will flunk these, or withdraw before the test.)

Also not mentioned is the possibility of owning a house worth less than the mortgage and a bank unwilling to allow a short sale with forgiveness of the difference. Local acquaintance from Wisconsin went to North Dakota to work as a Truck Driver leaving his home and family behind, pay was great, but even living in a camper, his cost of living there was high such that the amount of money he could send back to his family wasn't much more than he could make doing poorer jobs in Wisconsin, and at least in Wisconsin he could see and be there for his children.

SOO6617 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also not mentioned is the possibility of owning a
> house worth less than the mortgage and a bank
> unwilling to allow a short sale with forgiveness
> of the difference. Local acquaintance from
> Wisconsin went to North Dakota to work as a Truck
> Driver leaving his home and family behind, pay was
> great, but even living in a camper, his cost of
> living there was high such that the amount of
> money he could send back to his family wasn't much
> more than he could make doing poorer jobs in
> Wisconsin, and at least in Wisconsin he could see
> and be there for his children.

I've heard that about N.D. Virtually NO housing men living in man camps, I don't if or when that will change but it makes it hard to justify going there for work and damn near impossable to think about setting up perminant residance.
Fortunately up here in PA. it's not that bad but when it is booming rent and hotel room price goes straight through the roof.!!
But with the current lull landlords are getting a reality check.

Do you see how the Chinese owners could claim they could not find enough "qualified" workers in the area and bring in their own"temporary" workers to fill the jobs? Something like they are trying in Canada.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blackberry/p.html?id=2147504

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