The state legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would make Ohio a stronger competitor for a $1 billion coal power plant and research facility, with a possible site for the project in Meigs County.
State representative Jimmy Stewart, R-Athens, and state senator Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton, sponsored House bill 440, which passed unanimously in the senate. A representative for Governor Bob Taft said the bill, which better prepares the state for federal evaluation, still is under review.
Everybody wants this project to move forward because it would be a major
major development for Ohio Padgett said. It would put a massive number of scientists and related people into whatever part of Ohio.
The FutureGen Project, a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Energy and some of the nation's largest electric and coal companies, needs a site to build a coal-based power plant that would operate at near zero emissions, Stewart said. The plant would funnel excess carbon dioxide into the ground, about 8,000 to 9,000 feet below the surface, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
Ohio already uses coal to produce 90 percent of its electricity, and with large natural reserves, it is a leader in coal technology, according to a press release. The move is being supported by coal-research organizations, such as the Ohio Coal Research Consortium, comprising Ohio University, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Dayton, the Ohio State University, the University of Akron and the University of Cincinnati.
We added an appropriation for $1.25 million to pay for test drilling at one of our best sites Stewart said, adding the state has hired a consulting firm to narrow the choices to two or three before submitting an application to the federal government.
When you submit to the federal government
you don't submit 12 sites
Padgett said. At least 20 other states will be in the running, though only three ' Texas, Illinois and Ohio ' are the clear frontrunners, Padgett said.
It doesn't mean it's a slam dunk
she said. Some of (the outcome) depends on what the individual states are willing to do themselves. Padgett also said there would be some additional geological assessments.
Though one of the potential sites is in Meigs County, on the Ohio River, there is no indication as of yet which sites will be included in the official application.
A site must have a water source and the geology to allow the deep wells. The presence of nearby oil and gas fields also will be considered, as the carbon dioxide could be used as a means to extract more resources.
The Meigs County site would use the adjacent Ohio River for its energy source and as a channel for barging coal to the facility, which Stewart said would be cheaper than transporting it by rail or truck.
Funding for the project came from the state's unappropriated funds ' money leftover from the two-year $50 billion state budget.
If passed, and if located in Southeast Ohio, the project would bring more than 100 jobs, mostly research positions, and an additional 1,000 construction jobs, according to a press release.
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