Demonstration Project

Swan Hills Synfuels has developed an ISCG demonstration project (Demonstration Project), located 17 km southwest of Swan Hills. The first phase of the Demonstration Project was completed in June and July 2009 and resulted in a range of measurable successes that will assist in future development stages of the commercial project.

The leading edge project resulted in notable accomplishments including:

Technical achievements

• First of its kind project in North America.
• Deepest underground coal gasification ever conducted in the world. At 1400 meters below the surface (or 4600 ft) this depth showcases the opportunity to utilize Albertans deep vast coal reserves for future energy production.
• Clean burning excellent quality syngas successfully produced from its deep coal resource. Reveals that clean syngas can be successfully manufactured at depths never before achieved in Alberta or elsewhere.
• Successful demonstration of key ISCG process control fundamentals including elevating the coal to very high temperatures to create gasification.
• Injection of saline water in the gasification process - The success demonstrated a viable alternative from utilizing fresh water, in doing so showcased the significant environmental advantage over processes requiring the use of fresh water for energy generation.
• Ability to control shutdown and restart capabilities of the gasification process.

Demonstration Project results to date:

• Confirmation the Swan Hills Synfuels deep coal resource gasification process behaves in accordance with the substantial body of worldwide experience with ISCG.
• The Demonstration Project results reinforce that Swan Hills Synfuels’ coal resource has excellent geology and coal properties for ISCG.
• The results demonstrated to date put Swan Hills Synfuels in a strong position to move expeditiously toward further commercial development of ISCG at Swan Hills.
• Successful utilization of research funds- Projected costs of the CDN$30 million project, of which CDN$8.83 million was provided by the Province through the Alberta Energy Research Institute.

Next steps

• Gather operational data for the design of the large scale commercial development, the Swan Hills Synfuels ISCG/Sagitawah Power Project.
• Secure financing for larger commercial scale project development.
• Interpretation of actual construction and operating costs of the Demonstration Project to accurately forecast requirements for Swan Hills Synfuels commercial scale operation.

Summary

The successful results experienced during the Demonstration Project have provided valuable learning’s about the clean energy potential of Alberta's vast coal reserves.

GALLERY

Photos from our demonstration project*:

*May be re-produced without amendment or alteration.