News

Hart Energy Publishing Announces Advertising Opportunities for GTC Conference (8/11/08)

Hart Energy Publishing has been endorsed for the second consecutive year by the GTC to publish a newspaper that will showcase the 2008 Gasification Technologies Conference. A linked PDF outlines advertising opportunities available from Hart Energy.

U.S. DOE Announces Clean Coal Power Initiative Round 3 (8/11/08)

The Department of Energy has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Round 3 of the Clean Coal Power Initiative which seeks to accelerate the commercial deployment of advanced coal technologies to help supply the United States with clean, abundant, and affordable energy. See the DOE website for more information.

CONSOL Energy, Synthesis Energy Systems Team Up on WV Coal Gasification Project (7/28/08)

CONSOL Energy Inc. and Synthesis Energy Systems Inc. intend to develop a coal gasification and liquefaction plant to be located in West Virginia. The Board of Directors of CONSOL and SES have authorized funds for development activities, including the front-end engineering design package, to be performed by Aker Solutions US Inc. The facility will be located at the minemouth in Benwood, WV, and will be designed to capture CO₂ for storage in saline aquifers. See the SES press release for more information.

Emery Energy Company Selected For Coal Gasification Research Program (7/15/08)

Emery Energy Company has been selected for a cost-shared research program by Wyoming's Clean Coal Technologies Research Program for the development and testing of Emery's coal gasification technology. See the Emery Energy press release for more information.

GTC Executive Director Jim Childress Interviewed on E&E News OnPoint (7/9/08)

Jim Childress, Executive Director of the Gasification Technologies Council, appeared on the July 9, 2008, broadcast of E&E News' OnPoint program. Among other items, he discussed gasification's role in future energy policy and the advantages of gasification. See E&E News' site for the interview and read the transcript.

Kentucky Announces Public-Private Partnership to Test Geology for Carbon Storage (6/30/08)

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced that the state is partnering with the newly created Western Kentucky Carbon Storage Foundation to advance the science of long-term carbon storage opportunities in the commonwealth. Peabody Energy, ConocoPhillips, and E.ON U.S. will work with the Kentucky Geological Survey on carbon storage research. See the linked Kentucky Governor's Office press release for more information.

DOE Seeks to Invest Approximately $1.3 Billion to Commercialize CCS Technology (6/24/08)

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement to invest in multiple commercial-scale IGCC or other clean coal power plants with cutting-edge carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology under the Department's restructured FutureGen program. See the linked DOE press release for more information.

Siemens to Supply Coal Gasification Technology to Australia (6/16/08)

Gasification technology developed by Siemens Energy has been selected for a project in Australia. Australian Energy Company (AEC) Ltd. has acquired a license for two 500-megawatt coal gasifiers for a fertilizer plant in La-trobe Valley, Victoria, where they are to be used to convert lignite to ammonia. In an adjacent plant the ammonia will be used to produce the fertilizer urea. After commissioning in 2012, the plant will have an annual production capacity of approxi-mately 1.2 million tons of urea. See the linked Siemens press release for more information.

GE, Schlumberger Sign Alliance Agreement to Advance Total Carbon Solution (5/21/08)

GE Energy has signed a carbon sequestration alliance agreement with Schlumberger Carbon Services to accelerate the use of cleaner technology including IGCC. See the linked GE press release for more information.

EPC Providers Selected for Cash Creek SNG Plant (5/8/08)

Cash Creek Generation, LLC has contracted with Burns & McDonnell to perform EPC engineering design services for the company's coal to substitute natural gas and power project planned for Henderson County, Kentucky. CCG has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kiewit Energy Company related to the engineering, procurement and construction services necessary to construct the Cash Creek Project. The facility will produce pipeline-quality SNG and sequester CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery. See the linked ERORA press release for more information.

Mesaba Energy Project Selected for Federal Investment Tax Credits (5/7/08)

Excelsior Energy announced today that the U.S. Treasury Department, through the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, has allocated $133.5 million in federal investment tax credits to the Mesaba Project under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. See Excelsior Energy's press release for more information.

DOE Takes Next Steps with Restructured FutureGen Approach (5/7/08)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released a draft Funding Opportunity Announcement to solicit public input on the demonstration of multiple commercial-scale Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle or other clean coal power plants with cutting-edge carbon capture and storage technology under the Department's restructured FutureGen approach. The draft solicitation outlines the planned scope of the project, evaluation criteria, terms and conditions, and cost sharing requirements for public-private cooperation under FutureGen. See the Department of Energy's press release and draft Funding Opportunity Announcement for more information.

Southern California Edison Launches the Nation's First Full Commercial Scale Assessment of Advanced Coal Generation Technologies (4/10/08)

Southern California Edison will conduct the nation's first feasibility study combining several advanced coal technologies, including gasification, at full commercial scale. See SC Edison's website for more information.

GTC: Gasification Offers Carbon-Capture Path Forward (4/9/08)

With opposition to coal-burning power plants threatening to put severe price and supply pressures on natural gas, gasification technologies can help the United States meet its energy needs in environmentally and economically sound ways, a Senate energy subcommittee was told Wednesday by Gasification Technologies Council (GTC) Executive Director James Childress. See the full press release, Jim Childress's testimony, and the Senate subcommittee's site for more information.

Lake Charles Cogeneration LLC Announces Bond Sale for Gulf Coast SNG and Hydrogen Plant (4/2/08)

The Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District of Lake Charles, Louisiana issued and sold bonds to support the development of a Lake Charles Cogeneration's gulf coast gasification plant. The Lake Charles Cogeneration project will use GE's gasification technology to produce primarily substitute natural gas (SNG) and hydrogen from petroleum coke. The plant will capture carbon dioxde for enhanced oil recovery in Louisiana. See the Lake Charles Cogeneration press release for more information.

Puertollano IGCC Celebrates 10 Years' Operating Experience Using Uhde's PRENFLO™ Technology (3/19/08)

ELCOGAS S.A., operator of Spain's Puertollano IGCC, will celebrate 10 years' operating experience in March, 2008. The plant gasifies coal and petroleum coke using Uhde's PRENFLO™ Technology to generate 300 MWe. For more information, see Uhde's press release and information sheet.

GTC Releases In-depth Critique of CMU Researchers' Life Cycle Analysis Report's Gasification Treatment (3/5/08)

The Gasification Technologies Council today released an independent third party analysis by the consulting firm of CRA International that finds serious errors in a Carnegie Mellon University Researchers' Report "Life-Cycle Air Emissions of Coal, Domestic Natural Gas, LNG, and SNG for Electricity Generation" (CMU report).

"The CMU report's authors display a complete lack of understanding of the environmental performance of gasification technologies", said James Childress, Executive Director of the GTC. "There appears to have been no attempt by the authors to gather current, credible information from industry sources, either through direct communications or searches of available papers. The CMU Report is so seriously flawed that none of its findings or conclusions regarding gasification merit serious consideration in any public policy discourse on the topic."

The GTC press release, CRA report and a prior news item addressing the CMU report are available on this web site.

Luminant Receives Responses to IGCC RFP (2/14/08)

Luminant, the power generation subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings, has received 14 expressions of interest in response to its request for proposals (RFP) from companies offering IGCC technologies with the ability to capture carbon dioxide emissions. See the Luminant's press release and RFP for more information.

Illinois EPA Issues Air Permit for Taylorville Energy Center (1/31/08)

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has approved the air permit for Tenaska's 630-megawatt Taylorville Energy Center. The approval was upheld after U.S. Environmental Appeals Board denied the Sierra Club's appeal of the air permit. See the linked press release for more information. Download the Taylorville air permit.

Kentucky DAQ Issues Air Permit for Cash Creek Generation IGCC (1/26/08)

The Kentucky Division of Air Quality has approved the air permit for Cash Creek Generation LLC's 630-megawatt Cash Creek Generation Station. Download the Cash Creek air permit.

Indiana DEM Issues Air Permit for Duke Energy Edwardsport IGCC (1/25/08)

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has approved the air permit for Duke Energy's 630-megawatt Edwardsport IGCC power plant. Construction is expected to begin in the spring, and the plant is scheduled to be complete in 2012. Read Duke Energy's press release for more information. Download the Edwardsport air permit.

Excelsior Energy Announces Zero-Liquid Discharge Capability in Mesaba IGCC (1/21/08)

Excelsior Energy has reached an agreement with governmental leaders on the Iron Range to undertake a major regional water quality improvement program in connection with its Mesaba Energy IGCC power plant. The program would upgrade the plant with zero-liquid discharge capabilities, whereby all water used in the plant would be recycled within the facility rather than discharged into local water sources. See Excelsior Energy's zero-liquid discharge fact sheet and press release for more information.

GTC Announces Workshop Schedule for 2008 (1/15/08)

The Gasification Technologies Council will offer two workshops this year for local, state and federal government personnel with an interest in learning more about gasification's energy, environmental and economic characteristics. The sessions will be in Tampa, FL (March 13-14) and Tulsa, OK (June 17-18). The Tampa event will include a visit to the Tampa Electric Polk Power Station IGCC plant. The Tulsa workshop will feature a tour of the Coffeyville Resources petcoke gasification nitrogen fertilizer plant. Registration, program and cost reimbursement information for the Tampa meeting are on the GTC workshops page.

U.S. DOE to Issue Final Determination on PA Coal-to-Liquid Project (1/11/08)

WMPI PTY, LLC, developer of a waste coal-to-liquids facility in Gilberton, PA is anticipating a release of a $100 million federal loan for the proposed facility. See the linked press release for more details.