GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) – An economic development organization hopes to build a carbon innovation research facility in Campbell County.
Energy Capital Economic Development CEO Phil Christopherson said the idea is to build a facility where research into coal uses can be coordinated.
He said the goal is to establish a place where people can set up pilot projects to take advantage of coal supplies, one of the state’s most abundant resources.
The University of Wyoming is interested in participating, but researchers need a place to work. They also need funding.
Christopherson said he doesn’t expect the project to yield immediate results, and he has not identified any specific projects.
“I don’t expect to see any businesses come out of it next year or the year after,” he said. “But five, 10, 20 years from now, we may have a 50,000-square-foot research facility out there.
Christopherson said he intends to apply for a $1.5 million grant from the Wyoming Business Council to buy land and build the facility.
He intends to have a public hearing on the project with the county sometime in mid-November, the Gillette News Record reported.
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