Company/Alliance: FutureGen Industrial Alliance, Inc. which includes American Electric Power, Anglo American LLC, BHP Billiton, China Huaneng Group, Consol Energy Inc., E.ON U.S., Foundation Coal, Peabody Energy, PPL Energy Services Group, Rio Tinto Energy America, Southern Company, and Xstrata Coal
Location: Matton, Illinois, USA
Feedstock: Coal
Size: 275 MW
Capture Technology: IGCC/Pre-combustion
CO2 Fate: Sequestration in deep saline aquifers
Timing: Cancelled, previous timing (Selecting a site (2007), beginning construction (2009), and full scale operations (2012)
Motivation/Economics: The total cost is projected to be $1.4 billion through 2016 with power revenue offsets of $300 million included. The government share is 74% and is expected to be slightly over $1 billion, a value much higher than the initial agreement of $700 million for a total cost of $950 million. Another $10 million from both India and South Korea will be invested in the project. The FutureGen Alliance members intend to contribute over $400 million. The project will take over 10 years to complete including the site monitoring and will be supported by an ongoing coal research program where the results are shared among all the participants.
Comments: The Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Jan 30th 2008 that the FutureGen project would be restructured. The DOE will now only provide funding for the CCS and not for the IGCC plants. Due to the combined nature of the FutureGen project, of both ICGG and CCS, this project has been moved to the cancelled projects. The FutureGen project intended to create a zero-emissions fossil fuel plant that also would have produced hydrogen and byproducts for use by other industries. The DOE announced 4/10/08 that it might reduce the capture cost from 90% to 85% which would dramatically reduce the caputre costs.
Project Links: FutureGen Alliance
Other Sources and Press Release:
DOE might lower FutureGen Capture requirement (April 2008)
DOE announcement of restructured FutureGen (Jan 2008)
Funds for FutureGen in trouble as costs increase, NY Times (Jan 2008)
Energy Dept Might drop Support for FutureGen (Jan 2008)
Illinois is named location for FutureGen (Jan 2008)
U.S DOE: FutureGen - Tomorrow's Pollution-Free Power Plant
DOE Signs FutureGen Cooperative Agreement (April 2007)
FutureGen Alliance Announces Final Candidate Host Sites [PDF] (July 2006)
Anglo American announces FutureGen Industrial Alliance (February 2006)
