It could be another three years before construction begins on a coal-to-liquid fuel facility in Medicine Bow -- if it begins at all.
DKRW has struggled with financing for the $2 billion project since it was first permitted in 2008.
On Wednesday, the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council granted DKRW a 30-month extension on its construction permits. That’s the third time the company has been granted an extension, but this one comes with a special caveat. If the company doesn’t start building the conversion facility by the end of that period, it’s agreed to give up its permit.
Council administrator Luke Esch says the company will need to notify the state nine months before it wants to start construction.
“Whenever this information is submitted, it’s still going to have to be approved by the Council, it’s going to have to be sent to the parties, and the local communities will be notified. There will be public notices going out,” he says.
Esch says in response to frustrations about a lack of communication from the company, the Council also required DKRW to provide regular updates to local communities on the project’s progress during the 30-month extension.