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Requirements for Bringing FutureGen to Texas
The FutureGen Texas proposal to host this prototype plant will, according to DOE specifications,
address the following criteria:
Permitting DOE and the industry consortium leading the project’s development will want assurances that the site selected for the FutureGen research complex can obtain all of its local, State, and Federal permits. To improve Texas’ chances of winning the project, the Texas Legislature has enacted a statute that creates a more predictable and streamlined permitting process for key components of the FutureGen project, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and other key Texas agencies are fully engaged in that permitting process. Geology An extensive knowledge of geology will be needed to determine the suitability of host sites for long-term sequestration of CO2. BEG has a 95-year history of interpreting Texas geology and significant current expertise in CO2 storage in saline brines and oil and gas fields. The State of Texas, as well as the oil and gas industries within the state, maintains extensive private/public information systems that can be drawn upon to zero in on the most promising host sites in the state.
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Infrastructure The FutureGen host site will require well-developed infrastructure for delivering fuel and producing and using electricity, hydrogen, CO2, and other co-products of gasification. Texas has a well-developed electric-power transmission grid with multiple locations for tying into the network. The extensive refinery and chemical production industry in the state has resulted in a well-developed network for hydrogen and co-products produced by the industries. Finally, a network of CO2 pipelines is expanding rapidly owing to the demand for CO2 in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) within the state. Public Support During the next several months the FutureGen Texas management team will compile information on siting and permitting requirements of the FutureGen project. An extensive, unbiased screening process will be undertaken to identify areas within the State of Texas that can match the FutureGen host site profile. The initial screening will serve to focus on regions in Texas that have the potential to win the FutureGen project. Following the screening process, the management team will conduct appropriate sessions in regions that best match the siting profile. Through this process, communities will have a forum in which to express interest in the FutureGen facility. Local input will be weighed against requirements set forth in the FutureGen Request for Proposal (RFP), and a host site will be selected for incorporation into the Texas RFP response. |
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