With assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal partners, plans are underway for the world's largest power plant fueled by coal-mine methane to be built in China. Scheduled for completion in 2007, the project is the result of collaborative efforts between public and private sectors through the Methane to Markets Partnership, a U.S.-led initiative that includes 17 partner countries, including China.
In an industry statement, the EPA said Peoria, IL-based Caterpillar, Inc., has landed a $58 million contract from China to supply power-generation equipment for the facility. According to the EPA, the plant will produce 120 megawatts of electricity from coalbed and coal-mine methane from the Sihe mine. Also, exhaust-gas heat will be recovered to produce usable hot water and steam for the mining operations. When complete, the project is expected to offset the equivalent of an estimated 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year. The EPA called the China plant an example of U.S. efforts to be a good global neighbor by exporting its environmental successes to international partners.