Global Energy May Begin Work on Clean-Coal Power Plant This Year
IndustrySuppliers.com (May 18, 2001)
Cincinnati-based Global Energy USA is planning to start work on its clean-coal power plant later this year. The $500 million, 540MW power plant on a 30-acre site in Kentucky's Clark County is awaiting a state permit to begin construction. The company clarified that the plant would run on a mixture of coal and municipal waste, and the emissions from the plant would be as clean as that from a natural gas plant. The project proposes to use a technology which is in use at the Global Energy-run plant near Berlin in Germany. The coal will be used along with pelletised municipal waste. Before burning, the coal will be gasified so that no ash is left behind as by-product. The company claims that the gasification process also will not produce any emissions. The only residue after the process is a glass-like material called "frit" which can be used for paving roads or construction. In order to prevent situations like the Californian power crisis, President Bush is spearheading a movement to revive coal based power production in the US. The spiking natural gas price is one of the main reasons for the decision. The White House is working on a comprehensive policy to meeting America's increasing demand for electricity by encouraging the use of coal along with oil, nuclear power and natural gas. The fiscal 2002 budget includes a grant of $155 million for projects that promise clean energy using coal, like the one proposed by Global Energy. This project will receive a $61 million investment from the Department of Energy. Though this Trapp project was evolved in 1998, no funds were forthcoming from the Clinton government, which stressed the need for 'clean energy' and 'environmental compliance'. The government did not believe that coal could be used for producing clean energy and hence no funds were spent on that. Though many companies have come forward with promises of clean energy from coal, the cost of removing pollutants from coal using advanced technology made the power produced very expensive. The techniques for reducing coal pollutants include using filters to clean emission gases after combustion and mixing the coal with other material during combustion to limit harmful emissions. Environmentalists have raised concerns about the President Bush's decision. They contend that it is impossible to burn coal cleanly and have opposed the government move to open up old coal fired power plants saying that most of them were built before the US air pollution limits were set and all of them have special permission to exceed federal pollution limits. It is well known that burning coal produces noxious fumes comprising of nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, mercury and carbon dioxide. Mining of coal and disposal of its by-products are also a major environmental concern. The rising price of natural gas and the California experience has given a fresh impetus to the dormant coal industry. The US has 274 billion tons of coal reserves, which could be used to provide energy for 300 years. The coal industry claims that the use of coal would ensure the country of a stable, reliable source of energy at reasonable prices. The industry employs 17,000 people and contributes $7 billion to the economy in Kentucky. The judgement on coal usage for power can only be made by weighing the price the citizens are willing to pay for electricity against the cleanliness expected in the air they breathe. |
