 "We are thrilled that Illinois will be home to FutureGen. This
decision represents the culmination of years of hard work and
dedication, and we are honored that the FutureGen Alliance and the
U.S. Department of Energy have entrusted us with this groundbreaking
project," Blagojevich said. "FutureGen's ‘near zero-emission'
coal-gasification technology holds great promise to revolutionize
our nation's coal industry and ensure that coal continues to be an
integral part of our energy future while reducing the greenhouse
gases that cause climate change. As the entire world watches,
Illinois is ready to get to work to ensure that FutureGen is a
success."FutureGen is designed to be the cleanest
fossil-fuel-fired power plant in the world. The coal gasification
facility will convert coal into hydrogen and electricity, while
capturing and safely storing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide deep
underground. It will lay the groundwork for developing similar
plants around the country and the world, pioneering the capture and
storage of greenhouse gases.
After a rigorous site review process, Mattoon was selected over
three competing locations by the FutureGen Alliance, which is
developing the facility for the U.S. Department of Energy. The
Mattoon FutureGen facility will be built on 444 acres of land
located one mile northwest of the city.
In July of 2006, the FutureGen Alliance named the cities of
Mattoon and Tuscola as finalists for the project. The two other
finalist cities, Jewett and Odessa, are in Texas.
Since that announcement, government and economic development
leaders in Mattoon and Tuscola-Douglas County have worked hand in
hand with experts from the Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity's Office of Coal Development, the Illinois
State Geological Survey-University of Illinois, Southern Illinois
University and the Illinois Clean Coal Institute. Together they
presented a compelling case to the U.S. Department of Energy and the
FutureGen Industrial Alliance that central Illinois has the best
geology, infrastructure, research facilities and community support
to ensure FutureGen's success.
In recent months, Blagojevich also built a coalition of states
supporting Illinois' bid for FutureGen. The states of Indiana,
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, West Virginia and
Wyoming all endorsed locating FutureGen in Mattoon or Tuscola. The
Illinois congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, and
the Illinois state legislature also played crucial roles in securing
FutureGen by working diligently in a bipartisan fashion to ensure
the FutureGen remained a national and state priority.
"The combined effort to secure FutureGen was truly a team effort.
Elected officials, academics, business and labor leaders, and the
environmental community all came together to make FutureGen a
reality," said Jack Lavin, director of the Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity. "Today, we are celebrating our
success, but tomorrow, the real work begins. This facility will be
the first of its kind in the world utilizing groundbreaking
technology. This project will not only secure Illinois' reputation
as a national leader in clean-coal technology, but will provide an
economic boon for central Illinois, bringing hundreds of new jobs to
the area, and spurring economic development throughout the state.
Lavin added, "Although FutureGen will not be built in Tuscola,
efforts on behalf of the site have been an important part of our
winning formula. This is a win for all of central Illinois, and the
economic benefits will flow far and wide."
In addition to placing Illinois at the center of clean-coal
energy innovation and furthering the revitalization of the Illinois
coal industry, FutureGen will have a significant economic impact on
the region and state. According to a recent study by Southern
Illinois University Carbondale, the project will have a much larger
impact than the 1,300 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs the
U.S. Department of Energy estimates will be created. The study
showed that during the four-year construction period, there would be
more than $1 billion in economic impact statewide and 1,225 indirect
and induced spinoff jobs created as a result of the economic ripple
effect generated by FutureGen. Once the facility is operational, the
study noted that FutureGen would generate $135 million annually in
total statewide economic output, with an $85 million annual increase
in Coles County alone. FutureGen will also create an additional 360
indirect and induced full-time jobs statewide, according to the
report.
[to top of second column] |
"In every step of this process we considered the possibility of
victory, and yet I could not imagine it would be so sweet. This is a
triumph for the region, the state and the Midwest. I am proud to be
a part of this project and congratulate everyone who worked so hard
to make FutureGen a reality," said Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton.
"Today I could not be more proud to represent this victorious
region. This has been a community effort from Day One to prepare a
site for such an innovative venture. I look forward to the next
step, where we make this promise of economic evolution a reality,"
Sen. Dale A. Righter, R-Mattoon.
"FutureGen will take us to the next level in our commitment to
cleaner fuels. With this win, Illinois will be a model for the
nation as an environmental leader. I thank the governor, our
congressional delegation and the good people of central Illinois for
their dedication to such an important project," said Rep. Robert F.
Flider, D-Decatur.
"What a road it has been! FutureGen will bring jobs, technology,
and businesses -- a whole new economic vitality for this region. I
thank everyone involved, and especially the hardworking people of
this district; without them this could not have been possible," said
Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Charleston.
"This is a huge victory in that it will focus international
attention on Illinois and the use of Illinois coal. Our strong coal
tradition will be revitalized as we become the home of the cleanest
fossil-fuel-fired power plant in the world. Hopefully this is
indicative of what will happen for all of Illinois, particularly
southern Illinois, in the future. I would also like to thank
Governor Blagojevich and Director Lavin for their leadership on this
project and Schiff Hardin, the law firm representing the FutureGen
Alliance, for their help advising us on the necessary FutureGen
legislation," said Rep. Kurt Granberg, D-Mount Vernon.
"After years of research, development and hard work, Illinois is
the proud home of FutureGen. The governor, our congressional
delegation and Illinois workers and businesses have all given
unwavering support as they worked together for this common goal. I
am proud of Southern Illinois University's commitment to this
worthwhile clean-coal project. And today we celebrate -- it doesn't
stop here," said SIU Carbondale President Poshard.
The $1.5 billion FutureGen project, a government-private
partnership, will build a near-zero-emission, integrated
gasification, combined-cycle power plant that will capture and store
90 percent of the plant's carbon dioxide emissions. By sequestering
the carbon dioxide in deep geological reservoirs more than 1 mile
underground in the Mount Simon Sandstone reservoir, emissions of
this greenhouse gas to the atmosphere are eliminated, avoiding the
global climate change impacts of the carbon dioxide. FutureGen will
be a first-of-its-kind facility to fully integrate carbon
sequestration while also eliminating many of the other emissions
associated with coal use in conventional coal-fueled power plants.
It will be a world-class research facility that will greatly expand
our understanding of clean-coal technology and of carbon
sequestration to avoid global climate change. The deep Mount Simon
has performed well as a natural gas storage reservoir in Illinois,
and scientists expect the same for performance for carbon dioxide
storage at Mattoon.
Construction of the project is expected to begin in 2010, with
full-scale operations beginning in 2013.
For more information on FutureGen, please visit
www.futuregenforillinois.com.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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