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Officials Celebrate New Clearfield Siding Coal Cleaning Plant

New plant to provide jobs while reducing pollutants


WEBWIRE

CLEARFIELD  (Oct. 22, 2012)  – State and local elected officials joined corporate executive and workers today in formally opening a new $20 million coal cleaning plant that will provide approximately 20 jobs and make coal from Clearfield and Centre counties more competitive on the regional and world markets.

RES Coal, LLC started planning the expansion two years ago on an existing 12 acre site located on Third Level Road in West Decatur, Boggs Township, Clearfield County.  The goal was to “stay competitive and preserve jobs in the Clearfield and Centre County areas,” said D. Scott Kroh, President of Robindale Energy Services, Inc., at the plant ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

The new plant that sits on an expanded 50+ acre site, will utilize water from Clearfield Creek to clean mid-vol bituminous coal that is mined locally into a higher quality of coal.  This refined coal (metallurgical and steam) will be sold both domestically and overseas.

Mitch Harvey, President of RES Coal, said “the plant was specifically designed to protect the environment while providing cleaner coal to be sold and used for the generation of electricity and industrial purposes.”  Harvey explained that, “approximately 3,000 tons of raw coal per day will be fed to the plant via a conveyor system and cleaned before exiting the plant to be either trucked or railed to markets.” 

Coal stored outside sits on top of an underground liner that collects all of the rainwater which was engineered to drain into lined settling ponds before it is treated and discharged.  All of the water used in cleaning the coal will be treated and reused.  “The plant does not discharge make up water,” said Harvey.  Once cleaned, the coal’s BTU value has increased creating a higher grade metallurgical and steam coal.  The cleaning of the coal also on average reduces ash from 15% down to 8%, sulfur is decreased from 2% down to 1% and the content of mercury is reduced but the percent reduction varies.   

“Governor Corbett’s pro-growth, commonsense policies are allowing companies like RES Coal to expand and create jobs in Pennsylvania,” said PA Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker. “RES is helping to grow the state’s economy while playing a crucial role in establishing energy independence. And the company’s use of new technology will result in cleaner coal that is better for the environment.”

The new facility created approximately 40 construction jobs and will create approximately 20 plus plant jobs when fully operational, and many more ancillary jobs such as in the coal mining and transportation sector as well as all of the service companies it uses regularly.  On a daily basis, the plant is expected to ship approximately 133 truckloads or 30 rail cars by RJ Corman Railroad and Norfolk Southern railways of clean and reject coal.  Reject coal is what we call coarse reject or filter cake and can be burned at a local power plant.

“Coal has always been very important to our local citizens,” said Rep. Camille “Bud” George. “Coal means good paying jobs that cannot be shipped overseas.”  George congratulated company officials for not only continuing to do business in Pennsylvania in these hard economic times but in expanding to stay competitive.
 
“We are excited and welcome this new plant,” said Senator John Wozniak, “as it will provide a valuable and environmentally-sound service, while also providing new jobs and major new private investment in the State’s tax base.”

The celebration concluded by a tour of the facility and a special thank you to all of the government representatives and contractors who contributed to the project with a special thank you to Taggart Global, LLC who was the engineering procurement construction contractor and design builder of the project.
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RES Coal, LLC is a coal mining company that surface mines coal in Clearfield and Centre Counties. 



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