Ohio commits $2M in effort to land project
Backers say the plant will create no air pollution.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Ohio officials are committing $2 million for geologic test drilling to bolster the state's efforts to land a $1 billion, coal-fired power plant project.
The state will use the funds to pay for drilling to document the geologic characteristics of the sites proposed in Ohio for FutureGen, state officials said Tuesday.
"We will do everything in our power to ensure that Ohio is in the best position possible to bring the FutureGen plant and good jobs to our state," Gov. Bob Taft said in a statement.
FutureGen is the U.S. Department of Energy's plan to build the next generation of coal-fired power stations. Ohio is among 20 states vying to land the project. Backers say the project, when complete, will be the cleanest fossil fuel power plant in the world with nearly no air pollution and virtually no contribution to global warming.
Once the winning state is identified, the project will have about $750 million in federal funding and about $250 million from various power companies and utilities, backers said.
And it could generate 1,100 construction jobs and about 250 jobs at the plant site.
Information from drilling
Ohio officials say the test drilling in Ohio will provide information expected to be required by federal officials deciding where to locate the proposed plant.
One potential criterion for the proposed plant is the availability of the deep geologic formations needed for the capture and geologic storage of carbon gases produced in coal-power generation.
Leaders of Ohio's efforts to land FutureGen say the state is well-positioned to land the project because of the state's abundant coal reserves and deep geology.
Mark Rickel, a Taft spokesman, said details such as where test drills will be performed will be determined after the needed funds are secured.
"That's the critical part right now," Rickel said of the funding.
According to state officials, half of the needed $2 million will be taken out of the state's general revenues. The remainder will come from several sources including the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority and the Ohio Coal Development Office, state officials said.
Potential Ohio sites for FutureGen have been identified in Athens, Carroll, Clermont, Coshocton, Hamilton, Meigs, Stark and Tuscarawas counties.
Ohio officials hope to submit a proposal later this year for the plant, and backers say they expect a federal decision on the plant site next year. The FutureGen plant is expected to be operational by 2012.
The decision is expected to be made jointly between the federal energy department and a coalition of utility and power companies called the FutureGen Industrial Alliance.
During its first 10 years in operation, the proposed FutureGen plant will be a government/industry partnership. After that, the plant will be commercially owned, the details of which are to be negotiated between the alliance and the federal government, project backers say.