West Virginia University and Shenhua Group collaborate on coal-to-liquids plant design and operation. West Virginia University met with Shenhua Group officials to discuss collaboration between the two organizations. Shenhua Group is the largest coal operating company in China and is developing a commercial scale direct coal liquifaction plant in China. The plant will convert millions of tons of coal into thousands of barrels of liquid fuel per day.

The meeting was organized by the U.S. – China Energy Center, a program of West Virginia University.

West Virginia University has been working with the Department of Energy and the China National Development and Reform Commission since 2002 on the Protocol on Cooperation in the Field of Fossil Energy Technology Utilization and Development.

Lowell Miller, director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Sequestration, Hydrogen and Clean Coal Fuels, said that even with oil trading about $40 per barrel, we (the U.S.) needs to consider the long term ability to provide a sufficient source of liquid fuels.

Wu Xiuzhang, deputy chief engineer for the Shenhua Group, said that cooperation between China and the U.S. and especially West Virginia University is valuable and has been very successful so far.

Under the agreement, West Virginia University is providing expertise on carbon dioxide capture and sequestration. The Chinese are providing economic and environmental data and operating experience previously unknown to us in building and running a coal-to-liquids plant.

This is quite a coup for West Virginia University considering the fact that Shenhua Group is constructing the world’s largest direct liquefaction coal plant. Congratulations to the Mountaineers!