EESTech, Liaoning Fuxin Coal Group and the Fuxin City Government plan to use the Australian developed Hybrid Coal and Gas Turbine (HCGT) technology to turn waste coal and methane into electricity.

“HCGT technology will significantly reduce the environmental impacts of coal mining by lowering fugitive methane emissions from underground mines, reducing acid run-off and gaseous emissions from waste coal stockpiles,” EESTech said.

“At the same time it will deliver potentially significant savings on power and waste coal management costs.”

Australian government research agency and industry partnership company ComEnergy developed the HCGT technology and has assigned EESTech the marketing rights to establish the required 30MW power generating capacity using the HCGT technology.

When negotiations are complete, EESTech plans to build the power plant and sell the electricity to the Liaoning Fuxin Coal Group through a 20-year power purchase agreement.

The HCGT process involves burning gas, waste coal or biomass in a rotating kiln to produce hot exhaust gases, which in turn pass through a specially adapted heat exchanger to produce steam which spins the turbine to produce electricity.

The technology can use low quality energy sources, high sulfur and high ash content coal, tailings, lignite, biomass or municipal waste as its fuel to generate power and turn what is currently regarded as waste into electricity.