Secure Energy Inc. has made a firm transportation service agreement with Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America (NGPL) to ship up to 67,000 MMBtu/d of natural gas on the NGPL pipeline beginning Aug. 1, 2011 from Secure’s Decatur, IL, Gasification Plant, the company said.

Preliminary construction of the coal gasification plant is under way and Secure Energy plans to construct a 14-mile pipeline to interconnect with NGPL in Piatt County, IL.

The Decatur plant will convert approximately 1.4 million tons of high-sulfur Illinois coal into more than 20 Bcf of natural gas each year.

“At a time when pipeline capacity is becoming scarce, completing this agreement ensures that the Secure Energy Decatur Gasification Plant will be able to deliver its gas to both Illinois and Chicago area markets,” said Jack Kenny, co-founder of Secure Energy.

The Secure Energy Decatur Gasification Plant will convert coal to pipeline-quality synthetic natural gas. Plant construction cost is estimated to be $550 million. The gas produced will be transported to an interstate pipeline with access to a number of delivery points in and around the greater Chicago area. The plant is expected to be in operation in summer 2011.

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