Today, the U.S. Department of Energy and the FutureGen alliance announced its ‘short list’ of candidate sites that have been selected for the FutureGen project, keeping Odessa in the running as the possible location.
“I am pleased with the Department’s progress in the development of what will become America’s electric power plant of the future,” said Conaway. “Odessa is the home to a large portion of Texas’ energy production and has long been an ardent supporter of innovative energy projects, making it a unique and exceptional choice for the FutureGen site.”
Of the twelve sites that were still competing for the project location, four of them are still in the running. Odessa, along with Mattoon, Illinois, Tuscola, Illinois, and Jewett, Texas will continue to drive their proposals to the Department of Energy in hopes that they will be chosen as the host location for the FutureGen power plant.
Conaway went on to say, “Odessa possesses all the requirements necessary to make FutureGen a success. The people of Odessa and the Permian Basin support what the Department of Energy is seeking to accomplish. They have the kind of pioneering spirit that has driven the economy of the area for decades. I am looking forward to working with the selection team at the FutureGen alliance, as well as the Department of Energy to bring this important project to West Texas.”
The FutureGen Initiative is a $1 billion government/industry partnership to design, build and operate an emission-free, coal-fired electric and hydrogen production plant. The 275-megawatt prototype plant will serve as a large scale engineering laboratory for testing new clean power, carbon capture, and coal-to-hydrogen technologies. It will be the cleanest fossil fuel-fired power plant in the world.
