Diesel from coal: American investors plan to launch new project in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstani AST Petroleum and American BlueSky Energy have agreed to start producing diesel fuel production facilities in Kazakhstan. The fuel will be produced from coal, according to the Telegram channel Energy Monitor, by Nurlan Zhumagulov, the chairman of a public fund with the same name.

According to Zhumagulov, each facility will have a capacity of 20,000 tons of diesel fuel per year. One ton of coal is enough to produce 240 liters of fuel. Once domestic demand is met, the facilities will export fuel to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other countries.

The production of diesel fuel from coal is known as coal-chemical synthesis or the Fischer–Tropsch process. This technology converts coal into liquefied hydrocarbons, which can be used as fuel.

Chinese Shenhua Group is the world’s leader in liquid fuel production from coal. Other countries, such as South Africa (Sasol Company), are also developing these projects, despite criticism over environmental challenges and high costs.