Keystone Looks to Increase Coal Imports to Southeast U.S. Markets

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Coal miner, Keystone Industries LLC (Fort Myers, Florida), has plans to increase its coal and bulk materials import capabilities in Florida. Keystone, which operates a 500,000-ton-per-year coal mine in Kanawha County, West Virginia, currently operates an import terminal on Blount Island, Florida on property that it leases from the U.S. Marine Corps. The company is planning to expand ship-unloading capabilities by extending the pier at Blount Island. Preferably, the added belt conveyors and bulk material handling equipment will be portable, because Keystone needs to be able to relocate quickly if the government needs the facilities for emergency or military operations.

Keystone receives coal shipments from Venezuela and currently trucks coal to local power plants. The company would like to expand its offering and has initiated planning for construction of a new coal and bulk material import terminal on 61 acres, which it is in the process of purchasing from JAX Maritime Partners. The site, located at 1915 Wigmore Street in Jacksonville, Florida, on the Saint Johns River, was formerly a Jefferson Smurfit paperboard mill, which closed in 1999.

The company envisions a $20 million terminal with a dock to handle Panamax size vessels, along with coal storage and blending facilities and a rail loop capable of handling 100-car unit trains. The site is served by rail from Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC ) and has nearby connections to CSX Corporation (NYSE:CSX ) and Florida East Coast Railway (NYSE:FLA ). In addition to coal, the terminal could receive other bulk materials such as petroleum coke, cement, gypsum, and other imported materials in high demand. The terminal would be able to receive up to six million tons per year of coal and bulk materials and would mostly serve power plants and other coal users in Florida and Georgia.

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