ASRC has been engaged in evaluating its coal resources in the western Arctic since the late 1980s. Four trillion tons of high quality bituminous and subbituminous coal – one-ninth of the world’s known coal resource and one-third of the U.S. resource – are estimated to lie within the Northern Alaska Coal Province, a broad belt extending 300 miles eastwards from the Chukchi Sea.
Western Arctic coal is of premium quality ultra-low sulfur coal with an average of 0.23% sulfur, 3% moisture, 7% ash and has a heating value in excess of 12,000 BTU/lb. Under current environmental air quality regulations, our coal provides an environmentally friendly alternative to coals presently utilized for power generation. Utilization of western Arctic coal for blending during combustion can effectively reduce SO2 emissions, reducing potential future penalties as Pacific Rim countries move into stricter environmental regulatory enforcement.
