The Department of Energy announced June 12 the resumption of work on “FutureGen,” a public-private initiative directed at reducing the environmental impact of coal-powered electricity generation.  The concept of FutureGen is attractive to coal-dependent economies domestically and internationally.  It contemplates construction of a coal-fired power plant that produces hydrogen in addition to electricity, utilizing carbon capture & storage (CCS) technology to eliminate atmospheric emission of greenhouse gases.

Work on the facility, planned to be built in Mattoon, IL, was halted under the Bush Administration in early 2008, when costs were projected to be double those previously calculated.  The Bush Administration’s alternative was to replace FutureGen with a drive to equip multiple coal-fired power plants with advanced CCS technology rather than focusing effort on a single demonstration plant.

The FutureGen project holds very significant implications.  Because US coal reserves are among the world’s largest and serve as the most abundant fuel source for the current power generation fleet, the U.S. is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the technological advances promised by FutureGen and other CCS technologies. Furthermore, since coal is a key driver of the converging economies of developing nations such as China, India and Indonesia, successful US demonstration of CCS will likely aid future international efforts to reduce climate change.