Sundrop Fuels Selects IHI E&C for its Inaugural Gas to Gasoline Plant

HOUSTON, July 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IHI E&C International Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of IHI Corporation, has been selected as the contractor of choice for the Sundrop Fuels inaugural gas to gasoline plant project in Alexandria, Louisiana. The combined commercial and demonstration plant will annually produce about 60 million gallons of finished gasoline from natural gas while providing the platform for Sundrop Fuels to prove its proprietary gasification technology for making renewable "green gasoline" from woody biomass. The success of Sundrop Fuels' integrated commercial and demonstration plant will put in motion the company's plan to build a series of renewable gasoline "megaplants," each producing more than 200 million gallons of drop-in cellulosic biofuel annually.

IHI E&C is currently performing the front-end engineering design (FEED). Following successful execution of the FEED and finalization of the EPC contract exhibits, IHI E&C will execute the detailed engineering, procurement, construction and completions (EPCC) for the commercial plant. "With IHI E&C's talent and resources, Sundrop Fuels looks forward to breaking ground on the final stepping-stone toward becoming a major producer of affordable, drop-in biofuel," said Sundrop Fuels Chief Executive Officer Wayne Simmons. "It has extensive experience and a long history of successful project execution in plants with similar configurations and process units."

In the commercial plant natural gas is first reformed into synthesis gas, or syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The syngas is converted into methanol which is then converted into 87 octane ((R+M)/2) gasoline.

"We are very excited in being involved in this gas to gasoline project that utilizes proven technologies for the conversion of natural gas to gasoline," said Glyn Rodgers, IHI E&C President.

About IHI

IHI E&C provides engineering and construction services to the global oil and gas industry, specializing in design, engineering, procurement, construction, start-up and project management for the synthesis gas & derivatives, gas processing, LNG, power, petrochemicals & chemicals, refining and mining markets. IHI E&C is based in Houston, Texas. To learn more, please visit www.ihi-ec.com.

IHI Corporation (IHI) is a global engineering, construction and manufacturing company with approximately 27,000 employees in more than 10 manufacturing centres in Japan, 18 branches and sales offices in Japan, 14 offices and 142 subsidiaries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ihi.co.jp/en/index.html  

For further information contact:
Brooke Anding, Communications Manager, IHI E&C
Tel: +1 713 409 7539, email: [email protected]

About Sundrop Fuels

Sundrop Fuels, Inc. is a privately-held advanced biofuels company with corporate headquarters in Longmont, Colorado. The company is preparing to launch construction in Central Louisiana of its inaugural fuels facility, a combined commercial production and technology demonstration plant representing the first phase in Sundrop Fuels' path to become the nation's premier mass-scale provider of renewable biogasoline. Sundrop Fuels is backed by its strategic partner, Chesapeake Energy Corp., and by two of the world's premier venture groups, Oak Investment Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

For more information please visit www.sundropfuels.com or contact Steven Silvers, Sundrop Fuels, Inc. Corporate Affairs & Communications, at (303) 596-9960 or by email at [email protected].

NOTE: The term "finished gasoline" refers to all products that are commonly known or sold as gasoline and are suitable for immediate use as a motor fuel.

SOURCE IHI E&C International Corporation