Last week, aluminum producer Ormet announced the sale of its Burnside Bulk Handling Terminal on the Mississippi River in Louisiana for $US28 million to Trafigura Beeher, through its subsidiary Impala Warehousing.
The facility will handle up to 11.5 million short tons of capacity annually.
In the Pacific Northwest late last month, the Port of Morrow Commission in Boardman, Oregon, announced it had signed a lease with Utah-based Ambre Energy for the construction of a new coal terminal on the Columbia River.
While it did not detail the planned capacity of the facility, it did note that the terminal would be used to upload Powder River Basin output to barges. The coal will be shipped downriver to Washington and on to the combustion markets of Asia.
Local newspaper the East Oregonian said the facility would use up to 10 acres of a 24.26-acre site, including up to 1200 feet of waterfront.
“It is Ambre Energy’s intention to establish one of the few coal export facilities on the west coast of North America to provide access to growing Asia-Pacific markets for US thermal coal,” Ambre officials said on its web site.
According to Reuters, Millennium Bulk Logistics – owned by Arch Coal and Ambre Energy – is also planning growth that will begin at 5 million short tons yearly and grow eventually to 80Mtpa. Also, coal from Canadian producer Cline will now be coming through the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas at the rate of 2 million short tons per year.
The news service said Kinder Morgan was another owner eyeing expansion, of 2.2Mtpa from its bulk terminal in Houston, Texas, although the throughput source was not identified.
Earlier this year, Arch Coal and Ridley Terminals (RTI) inked a five-year throughput agreement for 2.75 million short tons annually at the Prince Rupert terminal in Alberta.
"This transaction is another important step in accomplishing our strategic objective of expanding Powder River Basin coal sales into the Asia-Pacific region," Arch chairman and chief executive officer Steven Leer said at the time.
"This throughput agreement gives us direct, immediate access to the growing seaborne thermal market. It also complements our recently announced investment in the Millennium Bulk Terminal in Longview, Washington, and other continuing terminal negotiations."
RTI’s expansion could increase capacity from 12Mtpa to 24Mt by 2015. Coal makes up more than 80% of the facility’s volume.
"RTI's vision is to provide value to its parent company and expand its role as a leading trade gateway between North American and world markets," RTI president George Dorsey said earlier this year.
One of the largest of the recent deals was announced in late April when Peabody and SSA Marine said the producer would export 24 million metric tonnes annually through the planned Gateway Pacific Terminal in Whatcom County, Washington.
Export volumes, officials said, would hinge upon global market demand and other factors including terminal capacity.
“We’re opening the door to a new era of US exports from the nation’s largest and most productive coal region to the world’s best market for coal,” Peabody CEO Gregory Boyce said.
“Asian nations are leading the world in economic growth and industrial production. Exporting Powder River Basin coal delivers sustainable clean coal, creates US jobs and offers a unique way for America to benefit from major Asian economic growth.”
Reuters noted that US coal exports have varied from 3.6 to 13.7% of total mined production over the last five decades. If analysts are correct and trends sustain, exports could jump to as high as 200 million short tons annually, or about 20% of US production.
If all US coal export facility expansion plans come to fruition – many are facing environmentalist opposition – they could collectively boost the nation’s export capacity by 54.5 million short tons a year and, ultimately, up to 129.5Mtpa.
