[Willie Green]

I didn't know this was a new process...

My understanding is that it's basicly the same old process,
but dramaticly updated with new technology to make it both more efficient and compliant with environmental regulations.

[pointsal]

Pour enough money and tax incentives and most anything and ....viola.... things happen.
Look at the idle wind machines in California.

[Comus]

The process was developed by the Germans before World War II. The first SASOL coal gasification plant in South Africa was built in the 1960's with a larger one later on. Diesel would have to be in the $3 - $4 dollar a gallon range for coal based products to be competitive. $100 million would not build very much of a plant. Replacing one large petroleum refinery with a coal synfuels plant of equal capacity would cost billions of dollars and they are huge physically. SASOL 2 goes on for miles.