FutureGen Wants Illinois To Buy Electricity, But At What Cost?
(Springfield) -- Planners of the proposed billion-dollar clean coal plant that was supposed to be built in downstate Illinois say it would be a great show of support if the state of Illinois agrees to buy its power from them.
But FutureGen officials say they don't know how much more that may cost the already cash-strapped state.
The Illinois Capitol is currently power by Springfield's City Water, Light, and Power, one of the cheapest utilities in Illinois.
FutureGen's Michael Mudd says there would be some new costs, such as transmission and deliver charges.
But he takes issues with a price tag that has FutureGen's electricity 82-million dollars more expensive that what the state currently buys.
Mudd says no one knows how much power from the plant will cost in 2014, when FutureGen is slated to open.
Dave Kolata with the Citizens' Utility Board says his group wants to support FutureGen but doesn't want the state to get a bad deal in the process.
Mudd says if Illinois does agree to buy power from FutureGen it will be a strong show of faith in clean coal technology, and the clean coal project in Mattoon.
Lawmakers are being asked to review the plan during this week's fall veto session.
The federal government awarded the billion-dollar FutureGen plant to Mattoon back in 2007, but the Department of Energy scuttled the idea due to cost overruns.
The Obama administration is considering a second life for Mattoon, but Mudd says nothing is certain yet.
(Copyright 2009 by VERTEXNews/Newsroom Solutions)
RNS-10-28-09 2251CDT