Ken W2KB wrote:NostalgiaRails wrote:If the BL England power plant switches to natural gas , either cng or lng, couldn't it still be shipped by rail?
It is highly unlikely to be Liquefied Natural Gas or Compressed Natural Gas. Gas pipeline would be built to the station property, and would also be sized to increase the capability for other customers along the route.
The time and cost to build a natural gas pipeline to the plant will not be insignificant, considering the amount of water, wetlands and eminent domain involved. I don't know how much excess capacity exists in the mains currently running to Ocean City but I doubt it's enough to fuel the plant. There are currently three units at the plant, one of which burns coal only and will be fully retired. At least one of the oil burning units has scrubbers which are currently compliant. Given all of that, we could very possibly still see some tank trains and I wouldn't categorically rule out CNG or LNG in the future, especially given the seasonal nature of the plant. CSAO has improved the line in the last couple of years including new grade crossing equipment, a new turnout on the Milmay siding and a good bit of rail welding. It would be nice to see them recoup some of that investment.