Press Releases
June 12, 2009
Contact: Lawrence Pacheco (202) 715-1555
FutureGen Alliance, Energy Department Agree on Path Forward for Mattoon Power Plant
Washington, D.C. — The FutureGen Alliance and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have reached an agreement to proceed with a reconfigured energy facility using carbon capture and sequestration at Mattoon, Ill. The agreement comes after several months of discussions between officials from the Alliance and the DOE.
FutureGen Alliance Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Mudd said that under the agreement the Alliance and DOE will work together through the rest of the year to refine the facility’s design to reduce cost and technical risk. Several technology configurations will be considered and upcoming discussions with equipment vendors, the engineering team and economics will shape the final design of the facility.
With the Energy Department’s assistance, substantial progress has been made on the project’s financing. The DOE will provide $1.073 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and previously appropriated federal funds. Contingent upon an acceptable total project cost and funding, the Alliance expects to begin equipment procurement and construction in 2010.
“The Alliance is extremely grateful to Secretary Chu and DOE, for the tremendous support and tenacity of Sen. Durbin and project champions on Capitol Hill. Further, the hard work and resources that Coles Together, the State of Illinois and the people of Illinois have contributed to make Mattoon an attractive site is commendable,” said Mudd. “The jobs created at FutureGen will result in important technology to reduce emissions from coal-fueled power plants at home and around the world. The Alliance is honored to work in partnership with such unwavering supporters, and remains committed to testing and proving CCS technology so future generations can have cleaner energy for a secure future.”
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About the FutureGen Alliance
The FutureGen Alliance, a non-profit organization, represents some of the world's largest coal companies and electric utilities including: American Electric Power, Anglo American, BHP Billiton, the China Huaneng Group, CONSOL Energy Inc., E.ON U.S., Foundation Coal, Rio Tinto Energy America, Peabody Energy, Southern Company, and Xstrata Coal.. These companies provide energy to tens of millions of residential, business, and industrial customers in North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa and South America. The Alliance is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy to design and build the facility. Learn more about FutureGen and the Alliance at http://www.FutureGenAlliance.org/.