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I do not. But, I noted the quote in DOE’s
promotional material… “The initiative will be a government/industry
partnership to pursue an innovative 'showcase' project focused on the design,
construction and operation of a technically cutting-edge power plant that is
intended to eliminate environmental concerns associated with coal utilization.” Our power utility, Sierra Pacific Power Company, entered
into a similar “industry/government partnership” with DOE for a coal
gasification unit at their Tracy, Nevada plant a number of years ago and the
unit has never operated properly. My understanding is the gasification
unit is now sitting idle. Folks may want to count to ten before rushing
in for the potential distribution of revenue streams. Also, I’m relieved to know that the only environmental
concerns associated with coal utilization are at the power plant. I
thought I had once heard of something involving the actual mining of the coal.
On the bright side, at least this is an initiative to reduce
coal fired power plant emissions rather than sanctioning more of them…. Kevin Dick Business Environmental Program NSBDC-UNR dick@unr.edu www.nsbdcbep.org www.nevadamax.org www.wrppn.org From:
owner-p2tech@great-lakes.net [mailto:owner-p2tech@great-lakes.net] On Behalf Of SDief@aol.com Hello, Does anyone have any information on the
potential impact and/or emissions from a coal gasification plant that
would also provide CO2 sequestration? The DOE is presenting this
technology as the pollution free power plant of the future (see http://www.fe.doe.gov/news/techlines/2003/tl_futuregen1.html or
read short article below). The project name is FutureGen - "a
$1 billion DOE venture that will combine electricity and hydrogen production
with the virtual total elimination of harmful emissions, including greenhouse
gases." Too good to be true? There are some concerned
communities that would like to know more. Sarah Diefendorf FutureGen is an initiative to build the
world's first integrated sequestration and hydrogen production research power
plant. The $1 billion dollar project is intended to create the world's first
zero-emissions fossil fuel plant. When operational, the prototype will be the
cleanest fossil fuel fired power plant in the world. The
initiative is a response to President Bush's directive to draw upon the best
scientific research to address the issue of global climate change. The
production of hydrogen will support the President's call to create a hydrogen
economy and fuel pollution free vehicles; and the use of coal will help ensure Additionally,
other countries will be invited to participate in the demonstration project
through the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum and other mechanisms. The
prototype plant will establish the technical and economic feasibility of
producing electricity and hydrogen from coal (the lowest cost and most abundant
domestic energy resource), while capturing and sequestering the carbon
dioxide generated in the process. The initiative will be a
government/industry partnership to pursue an innovative 'showcase' project
focused on the design, construction and operation of a technically cutting-edge
power plant that is intended to eliminate environmental concerns associated
with coal utilization. This will be a 'living prototype' with future technology
innovations incorporated into the design as needed. The
project will employ coal gasification technology integrated with combined cycle
electricity generation and the sequestration of carbon dioxide emissions. The
project will be supported by the ongoing coal research program, which will also
be the principal source of technology for the prototype. The project will
require 10 years to complete and will be led by an industrial consortium
representing the coal and power industries, with the project results being
shared among all participants, and industry as a whole. In
the operational phase, the project will generate revenue streams from the sales
of electricity, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The revenue will be shared among
the project participants (including the U.S. Government) in proportion to their
respective cost-sharing percentage. |