During 2010, Ambre Energy inspected numerous potential coal terminal sites on the US west coast to progress its objective of becoming a pioneer in the export of thermal coal from the USA. A brownfield bulk materials terminal in Cowlitz County on the Columbia River in Longview, Washington State was ultimately chosen as the preferred option and Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview LLC (MBTL) was established as the business entity for the purchase. The transaction was completed successfully on 11 January 2011 and MBTL acquired the assets of Chinook Ventures, Inc. (CVI), simultaneously entering into a long term ground lease over the site owned by Alcoa.

MBTL is a Limited Liability Company (LLC) with two shareholders. Ambre Energy owns 62 percent of the shares and Arch Coal, Inc., the second largest US thermal coal producer, owns the remaining 38 percent.

This underutilised 416 acre site is a multi-product bulk handling facility for commodities such as alumina and cement. It is accessible by rail infrastructure and serviced by both Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF). Deep water access up the Columbia River provides passage for ocean going vessels and the MBTL loading dock on the site’s 1.5 miles of river frontage has the potential to receive Panamax class ships.

For more than 60 years, this site zoned heavy industrial operated as an aluminium smelter, employing more than 1,400 people. The associated dock was used for importing alumina and materials needed in the smelting process. Around 2001, the facility was acquired by Alcoa and the smelter was shut down.

MBTL has begun a significant works program to maintain and upgrade the existing facilities, including multiple clean up projects related to decades of aluminium smelting and unpermitted actions taken by the site’s previous owner, CVI. The works will improve the safety and condition of the site to meet government requirements and community expectations.

MBTL currently employs 33 people plus dozens of local contractors, in addition to an experienced board and executive management team.

Engineering studies are currently underway to determine the scope and scale of a state-of-the-art coal handling facility, before the company enters into a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement process working towards local, state and federal approvals for an efficient and environmentally sound state-of-the-art coal export facility.

For more information, visit the MBTL website: www.millenniumlongview.com