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09/02/2009 03:14 PM
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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: September 2, 2009
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US Moves to Increase Use of Canadian Tar Sands
DOE, U.S. Treasury Award $502M for Renewable Energy Projects
DOE: $300M for Alternative Fuel Stations, Vehicles
DOE Sets Energy Standards for Beverage Vending Machines
Cash for Clunkers Replaces 700,000 Vehicles
DOE: $21M to Five Projects for Biomass Processing
USDA: $4.2M for Woody Biomass Removal
US Moves to Increase Use of Canadian Tar Sands
US imports of heavy oil derived from Canadian tar sands gained momentum recently with the approval of a pipeline to deliver the oil to the US and the approval of a refinery designed to handle the heavy oil.
The US. State Department announced on August 20 that it approved a Presidential Permit to Enbridge Inc. for the 1,000-mile Alberta Clipper pipeline, which will carry crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin. It will connect to an existing pipeline running from Fort McMurray to Hardisty, allowing the delivery of heavy oil extracted from Canadian tar sands, also known as oil sands.
Heavy oil is extracted from tar sands, clear-cutting pristine boreal forest and then using a very energy and water-intensive process - creating double the GHG emissions of conventionally derived oil. See the Pembina Institute's Oil Sands Watch Web site for more information. DOE's Energy Information Administration summarized oil sands in its Country Analysis Brief for Canada.
The pipeline will initially carry 450,000 barrels of crude oil per day, but will eventually be capable of carrying 800,000 barrels per day. According to Enbridge, Western Canadian tar sands developments are expected to grow by as much as 1.8 million barrels a day by 2015.
In approving the pipeline, the State Department cited the need for diverse, nearby crude oil supplies from a stable and reliable ally and noted that the project would create construction jobs. The State Department also asserted that GHG emissions are best addressed through each country's robust domestic policies and a strong international agreement.
On August 27, Enbridge started construction on the Canadian portion of the pipeline. The Alberta Clipper pipeline is expected to be in service by mid-2010. See the State Department press release and the Enbridge press release and Web page about the project.
Meanwhile, a state board in South Dakota approved a preconstruction air quality permit in late August for a proposed refinery that will refine heavy oil from Canadian tar sands. The proposed Hyperion Energy Center in southeast South Dakota will include a refinery with a capacity of 400,000 barrels per day of heavy crude oil, and an integrated gasification combined cycle power plant.
The power plant will gasify petroleum coke from the refinery, producing a synthetic gas, or syngas. Hydrogen will be stripped from the syngas and used in the refinery, and the syngas will then be burned in a gas turbine to convert it into electricity. Hyperion Refining, LLC plans to begin construction on the refinery in 2011 and to start up in 2015. See the press release from the South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment, as well as the Hyperion press release and project description.
DOE, US Treasury Award $502M for Renewable Energy Projects
The US Treasury Dept and DOE jointly announced $502 million in ARRA cash assistance on September 1 to energy companies in lieu of earned federal tax credits. This first round of awards is designed to create additional upfront capital, enabling companies to create jobs and begin construction on projects that may have been stalled until now. Ultimately, the program is expected to provide over $3 billion in financial support for clean energy projects. The direct payments will support an estimated 5,000 biomass, solar, wind, and other types of renewable energy production facilities in all regions of the country.
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