South Korea Pledges $10 Million Towards Zero-Emissions Coal-Fired Power Plant
South Korea has pledged $10 million to help build and operate the world’s first zero-emissions coal-fired power plant. Once operational, this plant will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while producing electricity and hydrogen, making it the environmentally cleanest fossil fuel fired power plant in the world.
The $1 billion FutureGen initiative is a ten-year effort announced by President Bush in 2003 to integrate advanced coal gasification technology, hydrogen from coal, power generation and carbon dioxide capture.
FutureGen will begin operations in 2012 and the 275 megawatt prototype plant will be the first in the world to produce both electricity and commercial-grade hydrogen from coal simultaneously.
Twelve sites in seven states have been named as candidates to host the $1 billion FutureGen power plant. The department will review the candidate sites in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and select a final site in the fall of 2007.
The initiative is part of the President’s Advanced Energy Initiative to draw upon research to address global climate changes and improve power delivery. The project will be led by an industrial consortium representing the coal and power industries.
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