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'FutureGen 2.0' Drops IGCC, Switches to OxyFuel Combustion
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) August 5 announced the awarding of US$1 billion in Recovery Act funding to the FutureGen Alliance, Ameren Energy Resources, Babcock & Wilcox, and Air Liquide Process & Construction to build "FutureGen 2.0."
The latest version of the financially and politically-challenged FutureGen project abandons the original integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology plan, substituting oxyfuel combustion. The new scheme is described as "a clean coal repowering program and carbon dioxide (CO2) storage network," according to DOE.
"This investment in the world's first, commercial-scale, oxy-combustion power plant will help to open up the over $300 billion market for coal unit repowering and position the country as a leader in an important part of the global clean energy economy," Chu said.
Tapping the DOE funds, the partner recipients will "repower Ameren's 200-megaWatt Unit 4 in Meredosia, Illinois with advanced oxy-combustion technology," according to DOE.
"The plant's new boiler, air separation unit, CO2 purification and compression unit will deliver 90% CO2 capture and eliminate most SOx [sulfur oxides], NOx [nitrogen oxides], mercury, and particulate emissions. Ameren Energy Resources estimates that the retrofitting of the plant is expected to create approximately 500 construction jobs and allow Ameren to recall 50 permanent workers who were laid off last year.
"This project will also provide performance and emissions data for future commercial guarantees, and establish operating and maintenance experience for future large-scale commercial projects. The FutureGen Alliance will help design the test program for the new facility to incorporate a broad range of coals and operating conditions to expand the market for this repowering approach.
"In addition, the project partners, working with the State of Illinois, will establish a regional CO2 storage site in Mattoon, Illinois and a CO2 pipeline network from Meredosia to Mattoon that will transport and store more than 1 million tons of captured CO2 per year. The pipeline network, along with the repository in Mattoon, helps to lay the foundation for a regional CO2 network. The Mattoon site will be used to conduct research on site characterization, injection and storage, and monitoring and measurement."
DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory studies "have identified oxy-combustion as potentially the least cost approach to clean-up existing coal-fired facilities and capture CO2 for geologic storage," according to the agency. – Jack Peckham
Gasification News, Hart Energy Publishing, LP. Houston TX, USA (www.worldfuels.com)
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