The State of Illinois has a goal to purchase 25 percent of its electricity from clean coal electricity with carbon capture and storage.  On December 19, 2012, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the terms of a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the FutureGen 2.0 project. The agreement requires the state’s electric utilities (ComEd and Ameren Illinois), as well as the alternative retail electric suppliers (ARES), to purchase electricity from FutureGen 2.0 for 20 years.

The ICC’s approval is strong both with respect to protecting Illinois ratepayers and providing the necessary cost recovery mechanism for FutureGen’s electricity. The Alliance recognizes that the ICC was faced with a complex matter and appreciates the extensive amount of time the ICC commissioners and staff put into the effort. It is a clear demonstration of Illinois’ leadership on clean coal technology.

Deal signed for purchase of the Meredosia power plant

In late 2011, the Meredosia Energy Center (MEC) closed its doors. At the time, Ameren Energy Resources pledged to work with the Alliance to make portions of the MEC available to the FutureGen 2.0 project.  Ameren Energy Resources fulfilled that pledge when a contract was executed for the sale of a portion of the MEC to the Alliance in January 2013. Under the agreement, Ameren Energy Resources will continue maintenance at the energy center to keep it in a condition suitable for future retrofitting. In 2014, immediately prior to the start of construction and when all conditions are met, ownership of the pertinent part of MEC will formally transfer to the Alliance.

DOE advances FutureGen 2.0 to next phase

On February 5^th, recognizing the successful approval of the PPA’s terms and other progress on the project, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved the start of Phase 2 of FutureGen 2.0. Phase 2 will include the final permitting and design activities that precede a decision to start construction. Phase 2 will run through early Summer 2014. Also included in this phase of work is DOE’s completion of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). A draft EIS is expected to be released by DOE this Spring with a public meeting to discuss the project following soon after.

Pipeline route unveiled

In late February, the Alliance unveiled the proposed route for the FutureGen 2.0 pipeline. The pipeline will safely transport CO₂ from the Meredosia Energy Center to the storage site near Ashland. All landowners affected by the pipeline have been notified by certified mail and invited to meetings to discuss the pipeline. For landowners who were unable to attend the meetings, other opportunities to learn about the pipeline are being provided. In general, there are more than 4,500 miles of CO₂ pipelines in the U.S. and they have an exceptional safety record.

Pipeline key facts:

• The pipeline will be approximately 30 miles long and less than 12 inches in diameter.
• The FutureGen Alliance will own the pipeline.
• The FutureGen Alliance has signed an agreement with the Illinois Department of Agriculture that is designed to mitigate the agricultural impacts associated with the pipeline
• Affected landowners will be compensated if the pipeline crosses their property and/or temporarily affects crop production.
• On farmland, the pipeline will be buried at least 5 feet deep to allow farming activity to continue above the pipeline once construction is completed.
• The FutureGen Alliance will be applying to the ICC for approval to construct and operate the pipeline.
• The pipeline will be designed to meet or exceed all applicable federal and state regulatory requirements.
• The transported CO₂ is cleaner than what would normally be released into the atmosphere.  At the purity levels and pressures that the CO₂ is transported, it is non-corrosive and not flammable.

Alliance staff will be available to answer questions or address concerns. Questions or concerns can be emailed to pipelineinfo@futgen.org, or call (217) 243-8427.

Next phase of geologic characterization completed at CO₂ storage site

Characterization of the storage site geology began in Phase 1 of the project. The findings were very positive. During Phase 2 of the project, additional characterization work has occurred to further confirm the integrity of the site and provide additional data to support final design.

One of geologic characterization techniques that has been used is called a vertical seismic profiling (VSP).  VSP involves temporarily placing a long string of microphones (called geophones) down into the previously drilled characterization well. Next, a large truck with a vibrating plate on the bottom (called a vibroseis or “thumper” truck) vibrates its plate against the ground near the characterization well. The vibrating plate creates soundwaves that travel through the earth. The soundwaves are measured and collected by the geophones. Based on the information gathered it will become possible to draw a picture of the storage site’s geology.

Depending on whether you are standing on bedrock or soil, you may have to get within 50 feet of a thumper truck to feel the vibrations. The Alliance added additional buffer space by instructing the VSP contractor to stay 300 feet away from any building, man-made structure or known water well. Additional equipment that was used included a truck to record the data and a crane to lower the geophones into the characterization well. This activity took about two days to complete in late-March.

The Beilschmidt Weather Station is live on the FutureGen Alliance website and available to the local farm community. As reported in the August edition of Community Corner, the FutureGen project installed the weather station along Beilschmidt Road to collect soil moisture, soil temperature, precipitation, air temperature, solar radiation, humidity, wind speed and direction and atmospheric CO2 levels.

To access the data, go to www.futuregenalliance.org/weather or click here. By clicking through the tabs on the web page you can access the weather data that interests you most.

U.S. Department of Energy continues review of the Alliance’s request to proceed with the next project phase

The FutureGen 2.0 project has four phases: (1) preliminary design; (2) permitting and final design; (3) construction; and (4) operations. Having completed the first phase, the Alliance has submitted the necessary documentation to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for it to determine whether the project is ready to proceed to the next phase. DOE’s review looks at many aspects of the project from technical to environment to safety to financial. Given the complexity of the project, this DOE review is now expected to take until the end of December 2012. Soon after the approval, the Alliance will initiate Phase II of the project, including announcing the pipeline route.

Update on CO2 storage site design

Data gathered directly from the geologic characterization well, in addition to post-drilling laboratory test results have helped optimize the storage site design for FutureGen 2.0. The updated design will allow CO2 from the Meredosia Energy Center to be injected at a lower pressure that originally planned. This will add further to the storage site’s performance and safety. Upon DOE’s approval of the project’s second phase, the Alliance will document the design in a permit application that will be submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region V for review and approval.

Illinois Commerce Commission considers FutureGen power purchase agreement

While the CO2 storage portion of the project receives most of the public attention, important work is also progressing on the revitalization of the Meredosia Energy Center. Some of this work relates to engineering, but important contractual arrangements are also being made. One of these important contractual arrangements is the power purchase agreement (PPA). A PPA is a long-term electricity sales contract between an electricity producer (the FutureGen power plant) and the Illinois companies that supply electricity to customers across the state of Illinois. PPAs are common; they represent the operating revenue stream for a power plant, and thus are essential to secure the “mortgage” on the power plant.

FutureGen 2.0 is eligible for a PPA under the Illinois Clean Coal Portfolio Standard, which is part of the Illinois Power Agency Act. The Act caps the cumulative impact of clean coal projects on electricity purchasers across the state at 2.015%. There is a similarly sized cap on renewable electricity (i.e., wind and solar). The impact of FutureGen’s electricity cost on ratepayers is expected to fall well below the statutory cap. Electricity consumers who purchase their power from rural electric cooperatives are unaffected.

FutureGen 2.0’s PPA is currently part of a docketed proceeding before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). It is expected that the ICC will rule on the PPA before the end of 2012. The ICC’s review primarily focuses on economic aspects of the project, as well as Illinois’ need for additional clean power.

The Alliance expects that the DOE will wait for the ICC ruling before they make a final determination on a Phase II start.

Teachers’ workshop on carbon capture and sequestration

On October 22nd, a workshop for local science teachers on carbon capture utilization and storage was held (CCUS) at MacMurray College. The workshop, conducted by the National Energy Education Development Project and sponsored by the DOE, is part of a national effort to increase the level of scientific understanding of CCS. Teachers from several junior and high schools attended. Tyler Gilmore, FutureGen 2.0’s chief geologist, gave a guest presentation to the teachers on the findings from the geologic characterization well.

Recent geologic testing and engineering studies at the proposed Morgan County CO₂ storage site continue to point to its quality as an excellent location for CO₂ storage.  As a result, the FutureGen Alliance announced in July that Morgan County will remain the preferred storage location and alternate sites in Christian and Douglas Counties will no longer be maintained.

Since the initial selection of Morgan County in February 2011, the Alliance has tested the geologic conditions at the proposed storage site. Tests have found that the site is geologically stable, has a regionally extensive primary caprock formation and secondary caprock formations and has a reservoir capacity sufficient to permanently store the CO₂ that will be generated by the FutureGen 2.0 project.

Additionally, the Alliance has acquired the underground pore space necessary for the proposed Morgan County storage site. Desktop and field environmental studies have also been conducted to confirm the absence of any sensitive environmental resources that could be adversely affected by the project.

Affirming Morgan County as the preferred site for FutureGen 2.0 is a significant milestone for the project. This decision allows the Alliance to proceed with final permitting for the storage site. Overall, the Morgan County community has been extremely welcoming. The Alliance recognizes that some citizens have remaining concerns, but expects that increasing the frequency of communication and allowing the independent environmental impact statement process to reach a conclusion will address most concerns.  As a result, the Alliance continues to be excited to continue its partnership with the community and move FutureGen 2.0 forward.

Illinois College community members gain experience from FutureGen 2.0
Two members from the Morgan County community had the opportunity to work with project scientists over the summer: Dr. Deborah Beal, Environmental Biology Professor & Coordinator at Illinois College and Angie Martin, a rising senior also at Illinois College.

The two worked with scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is under contract to the FutureGen Alliance as part of the storage site design and monitoring effort. Dr. Beal and Ms. Martin worked on environmental monitoring that will provide a set of baseline data for the FutureGen 2.0 project. As one example of baseline data, the team is using satellite imagery to measure how green the vegetation is in the area, including crops. Once these factors are determined, the Alliance will be equipped to monitor and study environmental factors throughout the project.

When asked about the opportunity Dr. Beal stated:
“This has been a great opportunity for Illinois College to be tied into a national laboratory project, giving us access to equipment and software that we are fairly limited to otherwise. There’s nothing locally that compares to working with a national lab. I have had access to high technology, geographical systems and mapping that we don’t have at my home college. This internship has also created an opportunity for me, and for my students, to make connections with other scientists. The expertise of the individuals I have met here has let me learn new techniques, which will translate back into my classroom. Since this is a long term project, students who participate could be directly involved in a long standing scientific undertaking, helping them recognize the value of science. It has been a great experience for both Angie and me.”

Both internships were funded by DOE. Angie’s internship was funded by DOE’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) and Professor Beal’s appointment was funded under the DOE’s Visiting Faculty Program (VFP), which seeks to increase the research competitiveness of faculty members and their students through a 10-week assignment at a DOE research laboratory.

Project Schedule

To assist the community in tracking FutureGen 2.0’s progress, the following project schedule is being provided. Should changes occur, the schedule will be routinely updated on the Alliance website at www.FutureGenAlliance.org. If you have a question about the project, please check our Frequently Asked Questions on the Alliance website. Alternatively, send your questions to info@futuregenalliance.org and we will respond as quickly as possible.

FutureGen 2.0 Progress and Key Milestones