TomCo Energy Plc highlights enhancements to POSP to cope with colder temperatures
TomCo said it is confident that Greenfield will be better informed and prepared to pursue construction
() told investors that the FEED (Front-End Engineering and Design) study for its oil sands project in Utah will be delayed by six weeks, but when it is complete it will be more robust.
The company, in a statement, detailed a recent development which saw it gather ‘ore’ samples from a different location and run into colder operating conditions.
It highlighted that this has revealed a requirement for enhancements to its envisaged facilities for a commercial-scale operation.
“We took the decision to process ore from the Potential Site we have identified for the proposed 10,000 bopd plant in order to ensure that the FEED is more meaningful for our future plans,” said John Potter, TomCo chief executive.
“In doing so, during the period of cold weather that has been experienced recently in Utah, we have identified the requirement for further enhancements and therefore additional equipment which is now on site.
“This is all part of the learning process for a test operation of this nature and we are confident that once the identified solution has been implemented Greenfield will be better informed and prepared to pursue construction of its first commercial-scale plant once funding has been secured.”
TomCo noted that the need for additional equipment and process has meant that Petroteq Energy Inc’s existing oil sands plant (POSP) at Asphalt Ridge has not yet reached its optimised target of 250 barrels of oil per day (bopd) per single shift.
The new equipment is now due to be installed after Easter and is expected to allow the POSP to produce oil at higher rates, particularly during periods of low temperature, and of higher quality.
It added the FEED will take an extra six weeks to complete, and, it will be followed by third-party verification.
The project is being advanced by the Greenfield Energy LLC joint venture company, which comprises Valkor LLC and TomCo. The pilot utilises a plant owned by Petroteq Energy and includes technology licenced from Quadrise Fuels International.
It is envisaged, subject to the pilot results and the FEED, that Greenfield will develop a new 10,000 bopd plant – comprising two 5,000 bopd trains – utilising design improvements and knowledge gained from the POSP pilot.
A potential site for the new plant has been identified by Greenfield and the alternative ‘ore’ tested at POSP was taken from the vicinity of that location.
Read More: TomCo Energy Plc highlights enhancements to POSP to cope with colder temperatures