Agrium advancing Blue Sky project 12/16/2007
Phase two results for coal gasification plant to feed company's Nikiski, Alaska fertilizer plant expected in first quarter 2008
Agrium is continuing to progress its Blue Sky project for a coal gasification plant to feed the company's fertilizer plant on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Agrium closed the Nikiski fertilizer plant in De...

Legislature passes Alaska Railroad bonding for Agrium 05/20/2007
On May 12 the Alaska House of Representatives concurred with Senate changes to a bill authorizing the Alaska Railroad Corp. to issue up to $2.9 billion in bonds for the Agrium Blue Sky project to repl...

MINING NEWS: Busy junior gears up for new season 03/25/2007
Successful spin-off of Galore Creek-area property into new exploration company caps productive 2006 exploration program
Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. of Cranbrook, B.C., has both breadth and depth when it comes to mineral exploration in western Canada. The aggressive junior has acquired more than 36 properties in a doze...

Agrium teams with Alaska Railroad 03/04/2007
Usibelli, Homer Electric also working Blue Sky project to gasify coal as feedstock for fertilizer plant, produce power for sale
Agrium is in phase 2, front-end engineering design, of its Kenai Blue Sky project, which would use gasified coal as feedstock to replace natural gas for the company's Nikiski fertilizer facility. In a...

Oil Patch Insider 02/18/2007
TAPS starts first new electric pumps; Agrium writes off Nikiski; Palin slams Exxon; Petro-Canada not going to operate in NPR-A
The startup of the new electric pump system at pump station 9 of the trans-Alaska pipeline has started to bring to fruition the years of work involved in the strategic reconfiguration of the pipeline...

Coal gasification options in Alaska 10/29/2006
DOE/SAIC studying coal gasification at Nikiski and coal to liquids at Healy; Nikiski plant looks marginally economic
In the portfolio of possibilities for the development of Alaska energy resources, coal gasification has taken a prominent position in the past year. In November 2005 Agrium announced its Blue Sky proj...

Agrium moves forward on Blue Sky coal gasification project to feed Nikiski fertilizer plant 09/10/2006
It's still all systems go for Agrium's Blue Sky project to use coal gasification to feed the company's fertilizer plant on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Aug. 31 the company announced that the project is p...

Agrium's coal project moves to phase 2 09/03/2006
Agrium says its Kenai Blue Sky Coal Gasification Project has completed a preliminary review for a coal gasification facility in Alaska and is proceeding to phase two. The next step, which is expected...

MINING NEWS: Coal conversion faces capital crunch 05/28/2006
Witnesses tell Congress coal-to-liquids and coal gasification projects may be hampered by lack of funding, not technology
As oil prices continue to climb in tandem with global demand, policy makers are examining the potential of converting coal, one of America's most abundant fossil minerals, into a liquid or gas fuel to...

Agrium to decide on coal project in July 04/30/2006
Company is close to finishing first phase of feasibility study that's likely to decide the fate of huge Nikiski fertilizer plant
This coming summer will provide a crucial "litmus test" on whether Agrium Inc. and other potential investors pony up well north of a billion dollars to convert coal into feedstock for the Canadian com...

MINING NEWS: Usibelli starts Jumbo Dome permitting 03/26/2006
One hundred million ton Jumbo Dome resource estimate has Alaska's Usibelli hunting for new coal markets
Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. has seen the future, and the future - its Jumbo Dome project - is bigger and better than anything the company has mined in the past, says Steve Denton, Usibelli vice president...

Step closer to coal 11/20/2005
By 2010 Agrium, Usibelli expect to replace gas with coal as feedstock for Nikiski plant
Agrium announced Nov. 16 that it and Usibelli Coal Mine have completed the first part of a study into the use of a coal gasification plant to generate feedstock for the company's fertilizer plant in N...

B.C. government pushes for offshore development 06/22/2003
But no discoveries have been made; industry interest seems limited
With an eye cast northwards to the successful development of Alaska's Cook Inlet oil and gas reserves, the British Columbia government is going full steam ahead with a plan to create a multi-billion d...

Juniors ready to pounce on assets being unloaded by new giants 06/09/2002
Host of startups emerges in Canada, attracting about C$500 million of private capital this year; investors are willing to ride through a period of low, or no growth
From the tornado of takeovers in Canada's oil patch in the past two years, a smaller dust storm is beginning to swirl. It is being kicked up by junior EandP companies who are ready to seize a windfall...