FutureGen: Pathway to Near-Zero Emissions and Sustainable Energy

This presentation will highlight the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) FutureGen project − a $1 billion government-industry partnership to design, build, and operate a near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant. The lead organization for the FutureGen initiative is the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), a multi-purpose laboratory operated by the U.S. DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy. NETL has a mission to conduct R&D from fundamental science to technology demonstration for resolving the environmental, supply, and reliability constraints of producing and using fossil energy resources. The commercial-scale FutureGen R&D facility is a pathway toward future fossil-energy power plants that will produce hydrogen and electricity while nearly eliminating emissions, including carbon dioxide. The 275-megawatt FutureGen plant will initiate operations around 2012 and employ advanced coal gasification technology integrated with combined cycle electricity generation, hydrogen production, and carbon capture and sequestration. Low carbon emissions would be achieved by integrating CO2 capture and sequestration operations with the power plant