Ohio learns future of $1B coal project today

The FutureGen project, which aims to advance energy technology, is ready to narrow its field.

Ohio finds out today if it will remain among seven states vying to host a $1 billion project to demonstrate cleaner burning of coal to generate electricity.

The FutureGen project, to begin operating in 2012, is planned as a model for future coal-burning plants to produce electricity while fouling the air less and producing hydrogen as another energy source.

The state that is designated in 2007 to host the project could reap at least 1,000 construction and research jobs, plus supporting investment for the long-term project.

The FutureGen Alliance, a private consortium of major coal producers and users working with the U.S. Department of Energy on the FutureGen project, will announce today in Washington, D.C., which of the 12 sites nominated from seven states will advance to the next stage of technical review.

The alliance has committed to paying $250 million of the project’s cost, with the federal government to provide $750 million and the host state’s government to provide additional support.

The results are intended to help the nation develop alternative energy sources. Coal is one of the country’s most abundant energy sources. A major challenge: reducing the air pollution it causes when burned, which poses public health hazards.

The University of Dayton Research Institute specializes in fuel and combustion research and would benefit no matter what FutureGen site is selected because the institute does federally funded work and could play a role, said Dilip Ballal, director of UD’s fuel and combustion research. But he said he is rooting for Ohio.

The Buckeye State has nominated two sites, 959 acres in Tuscarawas County in the east along U.S. 36 between Port Washington and Gnadenhutten; and 482 acres in Meigs County 15 miles southeast of Pomeroy, near where U.S. 33 and the Ohio River meet.

Each consists of two adjacent, privately owned parcels that the counties have contracted to buy if the site is chosen, said John Meyer, a spokesman for the Ohio coalition pursuing the project.

Even if Ohio doesn’t make the cut, it has benefited by identifying sites that could be used for federal energy research or new power plants, leaders of its FutureGen task force said.

Ohio?s coal legacy

Ohio generates nearly 90 percent of its electricity from coal, compared with 50 percent nationwide and 40 percent worldwide. The state is believed to have at least 250 years worth of coal reserves.

The state ranks fourth nationally in coal consumption with 26 coal-fired power generating plants. It is ranked seventh in coal reserves and 13th in coal production.

State officials say developing cleaner coal-burning technology to produce electricity would help Midwest states blamed for pollution from coal-burning power plants that worsen pollution along the East Coast.

Source: Ohio FutureGen Task Force