Mobile River Terminal

From Global Energy Monitor

Mobile River Terminal, also known as the Blue Creek Coal Terminal, is a proposed coal export terminal at the Port of Mobile in Alabama.

Location

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Background

In 2011 Birmingham-based Walter Energy purchased the Mobile River Terminal for US$35 million to increase its shipping capacity. Company officials said that they also still planned to use the nearby McDuffie Coal Terminal, about 2,000 feet south of the Mobile River terminal.[1] The company planned to export its Yellow Creek coking coal production.[2]

Walter Energy proposed to redevelop a vacant site that was once a coke and iron ore handling facility. All structures on the site were demolished in 2011-2012 to make way for a coal-handling facility. Coal mined from Tuscaloosa and surrounding counties in North Central Alabama would be transported by barge to the Mobile River Terminal for handling and export.[3] Mobile River Terminal would have an annual coal capacity of 5.5 million short tons (approximately 5 million metric tonnes).[4]

In August 2014 Walter Energy sold the terminal and associated properties to the Alabama State Port Authority for US$25 million, who will develop a container port at the site instead. Pursuant to the deal, the Alabama State Port Authority agreed to a long-term extension of the existing coal handling agreement with Walter Energy at the Port Authority's McDuffie Coal Terminal.[5] Walter Energy currently exports approximately 7 million tonnes of coking coal through the McDuffie Coal Terminal.[2]

Project Details

  • Sponsor: Walter Energy
  • Location: Port of Mobile, Alabama
  • Capacity (Million metric tonnes per annum): 5
  • Status: Cancelled

Resources

References

  1. Dan Murtaugh, "Port Authority wants to pass along costs of coal terminal upgrade" al.com, February 23, 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sylvie Cornot-Gandolphe “US Coal Exports: The Long Road to Asian Markets,” Oxford OIES PAPER: CL 2, March 2015
  3. "Blue Creek Coal Terminal Mobile, Alabama 2013-2014," Public hearing notice, accessed May 2015
  4. "Walter Energy Mobile River Terminal (Mobile, AL)," Clean Gulf Commerce Coalition, accessed May 2015
  5. "Walter Energy divests USD25m Blue Creek Coal Terminal at Port of Mobile, Alabama," CMTX, Aug 26, 2014

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