RE: RE: 88% Met Coal 12% Thermal... The answer to your question was in that news release link chrisale, if you chose to read it.
Why do you insist the plant is being designed to produce thermal coal? It's being designed to produce both, because that is what Raven has. Do you need spoon feeding?
You asked, "If they intend to ONLY sell 88/12 met/middlings why do they use the word "Alternatively" twice referring to both what the "all of the Raven washed product" could be used for and how "the process plant" will be designed?"
Why do they say "alternatively"? Only because as pointed out, Met Coal can be sold as Thermal Coal, whereas Thermal Coal can't be sold as Met Coal, and why would they? Met Coal, even Semi-Soft met coal, demands a higher selling price over thermal coal.
Either way, CEC needs to produce both, because they have both. You would rather sell a more valuable product at a lower price chrisale?
Here it is, in the body of the news release post:
Production Summary
The Feasibility Study selects an underground room-and-pillar mining method to provide the maximum flexibility to adapt to the variable conditions present at the Project. The room and pillar method centres on the use of continuous miners, shuttle cars and dual boom roof bolters used for roof support. Shuttle cars haul coal from continuous miners to the belt-conveyor feeder breakers. The belt-conveyors feed the raw coal to the surface preparation and process plant.
Raven coal can be processed to a final product specification of 10 percent ash (dry basis) and approximately 1.2 percent sulphur and is suitable for the metallurgical coal market. Alternatively, all of the Raven washed product could be marketed as a high-quality thermal coal with average product specifications of 7,000 kcal/kg and 15 percent ash on a dry basis. Given this, the process plant has been designed with the flexibility to produce metallurgical coal, with a thermal middlings coal by-product or alternatively a high-quality thermal coal. There are markets for metallurgical coal, thermal (or "steam") coal, and industrial coal (higher than 15 per cent ash on a dry basis) available for the Raven Project. Rock rejects will be directed to a surface storage pile to the north and west of the access portals and processing facilities.
The total project life is approximately 17 years, comprising a 12 month construction phase (2012 to 2013) followed by an 15.5-year mining period with site reclamation in the final year. The initial construction phase involves site preparation, infrastructure construction, and decline development. Major infrastructure to be constructed on site includes a coal processing plant, coal stockpiles and handling equipment, mine offices, equipment workshops and power sub-station.
Coal processing will be conducted on site. Average wash plant yield has been estimated at 44%. The final coal products will average 88% semi-soft metallurgical coal and 12% thermal middlings product over the mine life.