FutureGen re-launch takes shape

12 May 2008


The US Department of Energy (DOE) has got its restructured approach to the FutureGen project underway by releasing further details of the revised initiative.

It has released a draft document inviting public input on the new-look project following its decision in January to completely alter its approach.

The draft Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits comments on the FutureGen project, which will now involve the demonstration of several commercial-scale clean coal power plants (near-zero emissions) rather than the single project originally envisaged, and shifts the emphasis from hydrogen production by gasification, with CCS, to the carbon capture and storage technology itself.

The DOE decided to alter its approach owing to technological developments in clean coal and CCS technology, and changing market conditions for clean coal.

The draft solicitation outlines the planned scope of the revised project, evaluation criteria and cost-sharing requirements for public-private co-operation. Input will be considered in the development of the final solicitation, which the DOE expects to release in mid-2008.

Selection of the FutureGen projects is expected to take place at the end of 2008.

The DOE envisions construction of several clean coal or integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants generating at least 300 MW of power. It believes that this new approach will accelerate the deployment of advanced clean coal technology as well as double the amount of carbon sequestered compared to the original FutureGen concept.

Under Secretary of Energy Bud Albright said: “Each of these plants will sequester at least one million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and will help meet our nation’s rapidly growing demand for energy using our most abundant energy resource in an environmentally responsible way.”

The draft FOA specifies that at least 50 per cent of each project’s energy output must be used to produce electricity and that the plants must be designed to capture 90 per cent of carbon in the syngas or flue gas. They must also remove 90 per cent of mercury emissions and 99 per cent of sulphur emissions.

The DOE is also requiring a number of monitoring and verification performance targets to be met with regard to CO2 capture, transport and storage.

The DOE announced in January that it wanted to scrap the idea of constructing and operating a single near-zero emissions gasification centred demonstration plant, saying that the construction of several advanced coal plants would be an “all-round better investment”. The announcement came just weeks after the FutureGen Alliance – a consortium given the task of constructing the FutureGen plant – chose a site for the project. However the Alliance says that it plans to continue the construction of a coal-fired, near-zero emissions power plant at Mattoon, Illinois.




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