DOE Pulls The Plug On FutureGen "Clean Coal" Pilot Plant In Illinois

The Obama administration has pulled the plug on FutureGen 2.0 -- the second iteration of a project conceived more than a decade ago to blaze a trail for the continued use of coal amid growing concern about climate change.

The $1.68 billion project called for retrofitting a 65-year-old coal-fueled power plant in west-central Illinois to capture carbon dioxide emissions, which would be stored 4,000 feet underground in a geologic saline formation. The plant was expected to begin operation in 2017. But the Department of Energy notified the project developers this week to halt work after determining there's too little time to complete construction before $1 billion in federal funding expires in September.

Ken Humphreys, CEO of the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, a group of coal producers and a mining equipment company, said the loss of federal funding made it impossible for work to continue. "Despite the alliance's commitment to advancing carbon capture and storage technology and cleaner energy from coal, as well as our belief that there are solutions to address the impending deadline, the alliance must comply with DOE's directive," Humphreys said in an emailed statement.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a champion of FutureGen since its inception, called the decision a "huge disappointment for both central Illinois and supporters of clean coal technology."

EDIT

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060012845