Taylorville plant might use some FutureGen tech
BRUCE RUSHTON, Staff Writer, THE STATE JOURNAL REGISTER

February 01, 2008 – A company that has proposed building a $2 billion power plant in Taylorville is interested in injecting carbon dioxide into the earth to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In canceling the FutureGen project in Mattoon, which would also sequester carbon dioxide, the U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday said it wanted to hear from companies that would build power plants and let the government pay for storing carbon dioxide.

“We’re certainly interested in the idea,” said Bart Ford, vice president for business development at Tenaska Inc., which hopes to break ground for the Taylorville plant this year. “It’s too early for us to know whether that would work out or not. We are intrigued by it. They’ve indicated there’s money available.”

Capable of generating 630 megawatts of electricity, the Taylorville plant would be more than twice the size of the FutureGen project, which would generate 275 megawatts. The Taylorville plant would produce enough electricity to power 150,000 homes.

The Taylorville plant would convert coal to gas before combustion and would be the third such gasification plant in the United States. The other two, in Indiana and Florida, were built in the 1990s as demonstration projects. If the Taylorville plant included a component to store carbon dioxide in underground rock formations, it would be the first in the world.

Ford said a carbon-dioxide storage system could be added after the power plant is completed.
The plant moved a step closer to reality on Monday when a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency appeals board rejected an appeal by the Sierra Club, which says the state of Illinois didn’t adequately address carbon emissions when it issued a permit for the plant last summer.
Becki Clayborn, regional representative for the Sierra Club, said the group’s lawyers are looking at another appeal. While the Sierra Club is interested in carbon sequestration, Clayborn said limits on carbon-dioxide emissions should be enforced through permits. She also pointed out that the process for permanently storing carbon dioxide underground has not been proven.

Before Taylorville construction can begin, the Illinois General Assembly must pass a bill to allow the power plant to enter into long-term contracts to sell power to large utility companies, company officials say. Such a bill passed the Senate last year, but stalled in the House.
Ford said company officials met recently with House Speaker Michael Madigan and officials in the attorney general’s office about getting a bill passed this year.

“They tell us they would like to work out satisfactory legislation for us,” Ford said.


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