From the 12/10/04 MariettaOnline:

 

 

Southeast Ohio Could Get New Environmentally Friendly Power Plant

By Andrew Rex, Reporter, WMOA News 

 

Athens and Meigs Counties are two places under consideration for the site of a new $1 billion federally supported coal-based power plant. Ohio is one of 20 states in the competition to house the facility.

 

If it becomes a reality, FutureGen would be the world's first coal-based power plant that produces electricity and hydrogen with almost no emissions. Supporters claim the plant, once operational, will be the cleanest fossil fuel plant in the world, and it will establish the prototype for environmentally safe coal-based power supplies for the next century.

 

Jennifer Simon of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce says the project could mean thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs for the region. She says the energy related to this plant would help other energy research at Ohio University.

 

The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, who is leading the efforts to bring that plant to the Buckeye State, says no location for the plant has been determined. In addition to Athens and Meigs Counties, Carroll and Tuscarawas Counties have also been identified as potential locations for the facility.

 

http://www.mariettaonline.com/news/news_detail.php?ID=3565

 

so this plant will be the standard by the time we run out of coal?

They're going to pump the carbon dioxide into the saline aquifers beneath the surface of the earth.  Hmmm.... is the Law of Unintended Consequences popping into anyone else's head?

But it's futuristic!  Like the future...when all of us who are now living will be dead and we won't have to worry about it!

 

:(

More on the power plant, from the 1/9/05 Enquirer:

 

New power plant could land here

Hamilton, Clermont vying for $950M pollution-free facility

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

Hamilton and Clermont counties are in the running as possible sites for a $950 million project to build the world's first non-polluting, coal-burning power plant.

 

The federally funded power plant and a related research center seek to develop technology that would gasify coal - an especially abundant source of energy in Ohio - but release "near zero" emissions of carbon dioxide, mercury, sulfur dioxide and other common pollutants into the atmosphere.  If successful, such technology could help reduce emissions of carbon dioxide - the primary ingredient in global warming - and mercury, a powerful neurotoxin that is particularly harmful to children.

 

How it would work

 

Instead of burning pulverized coal, the plant would gasify coal by pressurizing and superheating it. The gasification - a technology that Cinergy already uses at an Indiana plant on a test basis - would allow the development of other cutting-edge technologies:

 

• The plant would capture carbon dioxide from the gasified coal, then inject it thousands of feet underground - where it would fuse with rock, thereby keeping it out of the atmosphere.

• It would separate hydrogen from the coal and use it to power gas turbines or fuel cells to produce clean electricity.

• It would capture common air pollutants, including mercury, emitted from power plants, and keep them out of the atmosphere. Some pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide, could be converted to byproducts such as fertilizers or soil enhancers.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050109/NEWS01/501090369/1077/news01

 

 

P.S> It could also go to SE Ohio...seperate thread here:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=1813.0

 

From the AP, 11/1/05:

 

Electric company proposing power plant in southeast Ohio

11/1/2005, 10:59 a.m. ET

The Associated Press   

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An electric generator is proposing a clean-burning coal power plant that could create 150 jobs in southeast Ohio, becoming the second company with plans to add a power plant in an area that has the state's highest unemployment rate.

 

American Municipal Power-Ohio and its two partners have selected a site in Meigs County along the Ohio River for the $1.2 billion facility.  The 1,000-megawatt plant is expected to be running by 2012, officials said.  One megawatt is enough to power 330 homes.

 

American Electric Power, the nation's largest power generator also based in Columbus, already has announced plans to build a $1.3 billion plant in Meigs that could create 125 jobs.  Meigs County has the highest unemployment rate in Ohio at 8.9 percent in September.

 

On the Net:

http://www.amp-ohio.org/

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/business-5/1130861043315171.xml&storylist=cleveland

 

8.9? Oh, that hurts.

From the 11/3/05 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Two proposed plants would bring 2,200 construction jobs

By Brian J. Reed

Thursday, November 3, 2005 5:55 PM EST

 

POMEROY - If American Electric Power and American Municipal Power follow through on plans to construct new power plants in southern Meigs County, the positive economic impact will be felt long before those plants are operating.

 

AEP expects construction of its $1 billion intergrated gasification combined cycle plant would create 1,400 construction jobs.  AMP estimates the creation of 800 construction-related jobs on its proposed $1.2 billion clean-coal plant. 

 

The two plants would create about 300 permanent jobs.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2005/11/03/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 11/15/05 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Varnadoe: Abatements to be major draw for power plants

By Brian J. Reed

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 5:26 PM EST

 

POMEROY - It could be a year or more before Meigs County officials can negotiate tax abatement policies for American Electric Power and American Municipal Power.

 

The two companies have announced plans to construct separate coal-fired power plants in southern Meigs County.  AEP is waiting for a ruling from the Public Utilities Commission on its plan to recover costs associated with building and operating the plant.  AMP is also awaiting approval through a separate permitting process.

 

Tax abatements, or “payments made in lieu of taxes,” will be a deciding factor in whether those plants are located in Meigs County, Meigs County Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe said Monday.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2005/11/15/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 12/1/05 Athens News:

 

Group slams AEP power plant

2005-12-01

 

A new consumers group has released a report alleging that American Electric Power's planned coal-fired power plant in Meigs County will raise electric rates for Ohioans while primarily benefiting customers in other states.  The Ohio Customers Alliance for Rate Reform on Tuesday released a critical analysis of AEP's proposed Meigs County plant and cost-recovery plan.

 

In a news release, OCARR spokesperson Cecelia Huffman said: "AEP is now proposing another outrageous boondoggle that will be a financial disaster for our state's economy and for our many low-income customers and senior citizens.  They want to raise our electric rates by $1.255 billion for a new plant that is primarily going to sell power to neighboring states."

 

Announcement of Meigs County as the probable location for one of AEP's two proposed 600-megawatt power plants stirred mainly positive reactions in hard-luck Meigs County earlier this year, with its promises of construction and plant jobs and spin-off economic benefits.  Over the past decade, the rural county has seen a severe decline in well-paying jobs mainly due to AEP's Southern Ohio Coal mines closing.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=22790

 

From the 12/4/05 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

 

Bill designed to promote Meigs FutureGen site

By Brian J. Reed

Sunday, December 4, 2005 5:35 PM EST

 

POMEROY - Legislation introduced in the Ohio legislature last week is designed to attract a new federally-funded clean coal power plant to the area.  Meigs County has been identified as “one of only a handful” of potential sites in Ohio for the construction of the FutureGen project, State Rep. Jimmy Stewart, R-Albany, said Friday.  FutureGen is a zero-emission power plant the federal government hopes to build, and Ohio is one of several states across the country vying for the project.

 

Stewart and State Sen. Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton, announced the introduction of legislation that would make changes to the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) statute and aid in the development of a strong package for the state in this highly competitive national process.

 

Meigs County officials have been working closely with those in Athens County and at Ohio University in promoting Meigs as a potential site for the project, allowing a Meigs County site to serve as the physical location for the plant while the university would benefit from research funding that would be part of the operation.  It is expected to bring more than 100 research and facility jobs and more than 1,000 construction jobs.

 

MORE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2005/12/04/news/local_news/news01.txt

 

From the 1/8/06 Pmeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

PHOTO: Frank Blake, Dan Duellman, Jon Buck and Frank Pifer of AEP review an aerial map of the proposed site for the new IGCC power plant in Lebanon Township with The Daily Sentinel’s reporter, Beth Sergent during a Friday visit that included a discussion with the Meigs County Commissioners on county infrastructure.  Charlene Hoeflich/photo

 

AEP officials visit to discuss infrastructure for proposed power plant

By Beth Sergent

Sunday, January 8, 2006 7:13 PM EST

 

POMEROY - Officials from American Electric Power (AEP) met with Meigs County Commissioners Jim Sheets and Mick Davenport as well as staff from The Daily Sentinel on Friday to discuss the county's infrastructure and its ability to support the proposed power plant at the Great Bend site.

 

“We talked about the infrastructure needs AEP would require for the plant...we want to be proactive and address them now,” Davenport said of the meeting between officials and the commissioners.

 

Those infrastructure needs relate to traffic flow in and out of the plant, the local road system and the water supply for the plant.  Dan Duellman, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant project engineer, said that AEP has been in contact with the Chester/Tuppers Plains Water District about supplying the plant's drinking water.  Among other issues to be hammered out is the quantity of pipeline to be laid for the drinking water.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/01/08/news/local_news/news00.txt

---

From the 1/9/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

PHOTO: AEP resentatives visited Meigs County Commissioners Jim Sheets and Mick Davenport Friday to discuss progress on the proposed IGCC power plant in Lebanon Township. The visit ended next to the Bicentennial Bell in the Meigs County Courthouse with (from left) Jon Buck, Sheets, Frank Pifer, Frank Blake, Davenport, Dan Duellman.    Beth Sergent/photo

 

Permanent jobs at AEP plant possibility in 2008

By Beth Sergent

Monday, January 9, 2006 5:39 PM EST

 

POMEROY - Permanent jobs at the power plant proposed for Lebanon Township could come to fruition in 2008, although 2009 is more likely, according to an American Electric Power official visiting in Meigs County Friday.

 

Frank Pifer, AEP manager of operations and communications, said that those permanent jobs will require intensive training once employees are onboard at the plant tentatively scheduled to go online in 2010.

 

The power plant which will utilize clean-coal technology will be one of the first of its size in the United States and employ approximately 100 full-time employees and hundreds more laborers during construction.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/01/09/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/01/09/daily16.html 

 

Business First of Columbus - 11:46 AM EST Wednesday

Ohio hires WorleyParsons to pursue project

 

The state of Ohio hired an engineering and consulting firm to help it attract FutureGen, a federally-funded power plant intended to produce almost no pollution. The state, led by the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, will prepare a proposal to convince the U.S. Department of Energy to locate to $1 billion plant in Ohio. The authority hired WorleyParsons Ltd. to scout locations and determine which location is the strongest candidate for the department.

 

The project will be an economic boon to any state that lands it, the authority said. Its construction will require about 1,000 workers, and when complete it will need about 100 full-time workers and researchers. The authority is considering sites in Athens, Carroll, Clermont, Coshocton, Hamilton, Meigs, Stark and Tuscarawas counties as possible sites to suggest for FutureGen.

From the 1/14/06 Parkersburg News and Sentinel:

 

AEP closer to new plant

By CHRISTINA BRIGHT

 

RACINE, Ohio - American Electric Power announced Friday it will move forward with plans to locate its new plant in the Great Bend area of Meigs County.

 

A public meeting to discuss the plans is set for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at Southern Elementary School at 906 Elm St., Racine, Ohio.  The meeting, scheduled by Columbus Southern Power Co. and Ohio Power Co., which are subsidiaries of AEP, is part of the formal siting process established by the Ohio Power Siting Board.

 

The meeting will allow area residents to obtain information concerning the need for the project, the project schedule, the design of the facility and other pertinent facts.  "This public meeting and subsequent filing with the Ohio Power Siting Board are part of our efforts to keep the project on track for completion in 2010 should the Great Bend site be selected as the first IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) plant location," said Kevin E. Walker, president and chief operating officer of AEP Ohio.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/story/0114202006_new02_aepplant011406.asp

 

Good news for Meigs County indeed.  I worked on the new SR-124 which connects US-33 to the Ravenswood bridge.  With the Lancaster by-pass, Nelsonville by-pass, and Athens-Darwin upgrade, US-33 will be the quickest way to get from Columbus to Charleston, WV (as opposed to US-23 to US-35).  Once all of the 33 upgrades are complete I think Meigs county will benifit nicely, I hope.

I hope so too.  They struggle.

Ohio wants power prize

U.S. government’s dream of pollution-free plant turns states into suitors

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Spencer Hunt

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

It's a competition with a $1 billion prize: a pollution-free power plant of the future.

 

Ohio and more than 20 other states soon will fight for FutureGen, the U.S. Department of Energy’s effort to build the next generation of coal-fired power stations. Unlike its older cousins, this plant won’t foul the air with smog or soot, or contribute to global warming.

 

Clean power isn’t the only benefit. FutureGen comes with $700 million in federal funds, $250 million from power and coal companies, more than 1,000 construction jobs and as many as 200 jobs at the plant.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/01/25/20060125-A1-00.html

From the 1/26/06 Toledo Blade:

 

Ohio seeks 1st near-zero emissions coal power plant

By TOM HENRY

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Ohio is one of 20 states courting the U.S. Department of Energy for the right to build what could become America's first coal-fired power plant of the future.

 

The $1 billion "FutureGen" project would infuse southern or eastern Ohio with a lot of new money, as well as jobs. More than 1,000 workers would be needed during construction, as well as 100 jobs in research, operations, and other duties once the plant is running.

 

But the biggest selling point - and the one that has attracted the support of the Ohio Environmental Council - is that it wouldn't pollute.

 

MORE: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060126/NEWS24/601260450

 

From the 1/27/06 Enquirer:

 

State stays mum on FutureGen site

BY JON CRAIG | ENQUIRER COLUMBUS BUREAU

 

COLUMBUS - Clermont and Hamilton counties are still in the running for the world's first clean coal-burning power plant, a $1 billion federal test project, state officials said Thursday.  But during a press briefing here Thursday updating the state's efforts to get the plant, state officials and private consultants declined to identify sites - saying that could help land speculators and undermine Ohio's efforts to beat out other states vying for the project.

 

About 1,100 construction jobs and 250 permanent high-technology research jobs would be created by the work.  The power plant would not be fully operational for 10 years, when it would be sold to a private utility.  It would generate electricity while recycling carbon dioxide and hydrogen for other energy uses, including automotive fuel cells.

 

While a small amount of electricity will be generated - a 275-megawatt plant powers about 275,000 homes - state officials are excited because nearly 90 percent of Ohio's power is produced by coal-burning plants.

 

Power plant competition

About FutureGen: President Bush announced the FutureGen initiative on Feb. 27, 2003, and Congress has set aside about $200 million in initial funding to select a site for the $1 billion project.

 

FutureGen partners: The FutureGen Industrial Alliance is a nonprofit corporation financing one-fourth, or $250 million of the project. The U.S. Department of Energy is financing the other $750 million. Current alliance partners are: American Electric Power, Columbus; BHP Billiton, Melbourne, Australia; Consol Energy Inc., Pittsburgh; Foundation Coal, Linthicum Heights, Md.; China Huaneng Group, Beijing; Kennecot Energy, Gillette, Wyo.; Peabody Energy, St. Louis; Southern Company, Atlanta.

 

Who's interested: About 20 states are vying for the plant. In Ohio, in addition to Hamilton and Clermont counties, counties vying for the project are Athens, Meigs, Stark, Carroll, Coshocton and Tuscarawas.

 

What's next: A request for proposals is expected to be issued to states in March. The Department of Energy is expected to come up with a "short list" of finalists by mid-summer. A site is expected to be chosen by mid-2007.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060127/NEWS01/601270420/1056/rss02

 

From the 1/31/06 Gallipolis Daily Tribune:

 

AEP sets five-year timetable on plant

By Brian J. Reed

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 8:54 PM EST

 

POMEROY -American Electric Power has established a five-year timetable for construction of its $1 billion clean coal power plant, beginning with the company's announcement in 2004 of its plan to build at least one IGCC plant, to commercial operation in mid-2010.

 

The power company plans to complete the engineering and design process for the plant by October, about the same time the Ohio Power Siting Board is expected to rule on plans to build the plant here.

 

AEP included a project schedule for its proposed plant in information presented at a public meeting held last week in Racine. The informational meeting was a requirement for AEP's planned application with the OPSB, which grants authority to build new power plants.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/articles/2006/01/31/news/local_news/news02.txt

 

From the 2/14/06 Cincinnati Business Courier:

 

 

Ohio to put $2M toward FutureGen testing

 

Ohio took a step today to improve its position in a hotly contested competition to land an experimental power plant.

 

Gov. Bob Taft, Ohio Senate President Bill Harris and House Speaker Jon Husted said they will secure $2 million in funding to test-drill at sites being considered for the FutureGen research facility.

 

Eight Ohio counties, including Hamilton and Clermont, have sites that might accommodate the power plant being proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy. The test drilling will assess the availability of deep geologic formations that are required to capture and store carbon gases that would be used to generate electricity. FutureGen would be the world's first power plant to generate near-zero emission levels.

 

Half of the funding for the testing will come from the state's general revenue funds, and the rest from a combination of sources, including the Ohio Air Development Authority, private-sector sources and research-and-development sources.

 

"This investment demonstrates that Ohio is serious about competing for the FutureGen plant and the jobs that come with it," Harris said.

 

More than 20 states are in the running for the project, which is expected to begin operations in 2012.

 

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/02/13/daily23.html

 

From the Akron Beacon Journal 02/15/2006

 

Ohio primes pump for plant

State promises to put up $2 million in an effort to attract $1 billion experimental coal generator that doesn't pollute

By Bob Downing

Beacon Journal staff writer

 

Ohio officials have pledged $2 million to help the state get a nearly $1 billion experimental, nonpolluting coal-burning electric power plant.  The $2 million will be used to fund test drilling as a critical step to attract the project to Ohio, Gov. Bob Taft, Senate President Bill Harris and House Speaker Jon Husted said Tuesday.  The drilling will document geologic characteristics of proposed sites, to help find the best location for the FutureGen plant.

 

About 20 states have expressed interest in the prototype plant, which is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and a nonprofit group of electric utilities and coal producers, including Columbus-based American Electric Power.

 

Half of the $2 million will come from Ohio's general fund and the rest from the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, the Ohio Coal Development Office, private sources and research-and-development funds.

The drilling will help determine whether Ohio sites have suitable underground geology.

 

MORE: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/13876170.htm[/i]

Update on the AMP project from the 2/15/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

AMP-Ohio officials update Chamber on proposed power plant

By Beth Sergent

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 5:36 PM EST

 

POMEROY - The proposed coal-fired power plant for Letart Falls will be the “flagship” of American Municipal Power (AMP) of Ohio according to its representatives that spoke to a packed house at yesterday's business minded luncheon of the Meigs County Chamber of Commerce held at the Wild Horse Cafe.

 

Jolene Thompson and Kent Carson of AMP-Ohio gave chamber members a progress report and update on the plant.

 

Thompson reported that at this time AMP-Ohio was involved in the regulatory processes of bringing the plant to Meigs County, including preparing to file for the proper permits in the next few months and throughout 2006. This permit process will include a public meeting similar to the one recently held by American Electric Power at Southern Elementary.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/02/15/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 3/28/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Delegation discusses plant proposals, budget needs in capital visit

By Brian J. Reed

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 5:28 PM EST

 

POMEROY - A delegation from Meigs County returned Thursday after two days in the state capital, meeting with legislators and officials with two power companies which plan to locate here.

 

Meigs County Commissioners Mick Davenport and Jim Sheets make one or two trips to Columbus each year to meet with state-level officials and promote Meigs County's economic development and local government agendas. Community Improvement Corporation President Paul Reed, Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe and Job and Family Services Director Michael Swisher also made the trip.

 

The delegation met with State Rep. Jimmy Stewart, R-Albany, and State Senator Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton, along with officials from American Electric Power and American Municipal Power-Ohio, and the Ohio Power Siting Board regarding the status of two proposed $1 billion power plants, and how county government can assist in locating the plants here.

 

They also discussed the upcoming state capital budget bill and how Meigs County can benefit from its appropriations, Davenport said.

 

MORE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/03/28/news/local_news/news03.txt

 

From the 4/5/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

 

Taft signs FutureGen legislation

By Brian J. Reed

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 5:36 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - Ohio Gov. Bob Taft signed House Bill 440 on Tuesday, allowing the expenditure of $1 million in state funds to help attract the FutureGen power plant to one of two Ohio sites.

 

Also yesterday, the Ohio FutureGen Task Force announced it has selected sites in Meigs and Tuscarawas Counties as the two best sites in the state for the plant (See related story). At least seven other states are also competing for the $1 billion clean-coal, zero emissions power plant and research facility.

 

State Rep. Jimmy Stewart, R-Albany, sponsored the bill with State Senator Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton. It passed the Senate on Friday, and received unanimous support in both chambers, according to Carol Zimmerman, a spokesman for the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority.

 

The legislation changes the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority statute and appropriates $1 million to the Ohio Coal Development Office to support the drilling of a test well. That well will enable the gathering and analysis of critical geological data. The bill also creates a fund to receive non-governmental contributions to support the test well project as another way to raise funds for the project.

 

Fueled by coal, the 275-megawatt plant will produce hydrogen for use as a clean coal source and test the ability to store large amounts of carbon dioxide deep underground as opposed to emitting it into the air.

 

http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/04/05/news/local_news/news02.txt

 

From the 4/5/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Task force selects Meigs, Tuscarawas FutureGen sites

By Brian J. Reed

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 5:36 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - A site in Lebanon Township was identified Tuesday as one of two “best locations in Ohio” for the billion-dollar, zero-emissions FutureGen power plant, proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy.

 

The Ohio FutureGen Task Force announced the selection of the Meigs County site and a location in Tuscarawas County as the two sites it will submit to the Energy Department and the FutureGen Industrial Alliance for consideration. Eight other states, including Illinois and Texas, are also competing for the project, and a decision could be made later this year as to where the plant will be located.

 

The FutureGen project is the third power plant under consideration for construction in Meigs County. American Electric Power expects a decision Wednesday on its proposal to recover costs associated with a $1 billion IGCC clean-coal plant in Lebanon Township, and American Municipal Power-Ohio plans to construct a similar $1 billion facility in Letart Township.

 

http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/04/05/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 4/24/06 Dayton Daily News:

 

Ohio to bid for $1 billion prototype coal plant

Could burn coal with near-zero emissions

By John Nolan

Staff Writer

 

DAYTON | It's a $1 billion prize already being sought by 21 entities that have applied from nine states: the FutureGen project, which the U.S. Department of Energy envisions as a prototype plant to demonstrate how coal can be burned with near-zero atmospheric emissions to generate electricity.

 

Ohio plans to submit its bid by the May 4 deadline, and at least 20 other states are expected to do so as well. Gov. Bob Taft signed a bill this month to appropriate $1 million to supplement private funding for test drilling to obtain geological data about possible Ohio sites for the project.

 

Coal companies and utility companies, including Columbus-based American Electric Power Co., are lining up as hopeful participants in FutureGen.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/content/business/daily/0423futuregen.html

 

Ohio flashes cash in power-plant bid

1,000-job federal project attracts 7 states’ incentives

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Spencer Hunt

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 

 

Ohio taxpayers could pay more than $33 million in a bid to beat out six other states for a $1 billion, experimental power plant.  State officials also are offering a financing plan that could save power and coal companies $120 million of the $300 million they planned to spend on the plant, called FutureGen.  The U.S. Department of Energy will spend the remaining $700 million, all to test new methods of burning coal that don’t pollute the air. 

 

There’s more. The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority said it would provide as many as three clean-fuel minibuses for researchers to use. They call the fleet the "Future-Gen Express."  The authority’s director, Mark Shanahan, said the cost is worth it to bring FutureGen’s estimated 1,000 construction jobs and as many as 200 plant and research jobs to either Tuscarawas or Meigs County.

 

MORE: http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/05/11/20060511-A1-03.html

 

From the 5/7/06 Gallipolis Daily Tribune:

 

AEP: Archeological survey won't impact new plant

By Brian J. Reed

Sunday, May 7, 2006 5:53 PM EDT

 

GREAT BEND - American Electric Power expects results of an ongoing archeological evaluation will have no impact on its plans to construct a new power plant in Lebanon Township.  That evaluation began last year and is “months from completion,” according to AEP spokesman Jeff Rennie, responding to inquiries about the status of the survey.

 

An independent firm contracting with AEP continues work on an historical survey of the 1,300-acre site near the Ravenswood, W.Va., Bridge.  The study is required in order to ensure that no significant historical artifacts will be disturbed by the construction of AEP's planned $1.3 billion IGCC plant.

 

The studies are required for the permitting process through the Ohio Power Siting Board and other permitting agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

MORE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/articles/2006/05/07/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 5/18/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Meigs officials meet AEP in panel discussion

By Brian J. Reed

Thursday, May 18, 2006 5:53 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - Meigs County officials participated in a panel discussion Monday outlining the benefits of American Electric Power's plans to build a new power plant in Lebanon Township.

 

Meigs County Commissioners Mick Davenport and Jim Sheets, Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe, State Senator Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton, and Southern Local Superintendent Robert Grueser were invited to speak to approximately 100 AEP employees at the company's Columbus headquarters.

 

AEP Spokesman Jeff Rennie said the delegation discussed the positive impact the proposed $1 billion plant would have on the county's economy, and with Grueser's participation, the impact on the Southern school district and its financial condition.  “The presentation gave us a good feel for the view Meigs County's leadership has on AEP's plans to build there, and an opportunity for AEP employees to ask questions of them,” Rennie said.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/05/18/news/local_news/news00.txt

---

From the 5/23/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

AMP-Ohio files air permit application

By Beth Sergent

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 5:27 PM EDT

 

LETART FALLS - The proposed $1.5 billion coal-fired power plant for Letart Falls is one step closer to existence with the recent filing of an air permit application with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio).

 

AMP-Ohio wishes to build the American Municipal Power Generating Station (AMPGS), a 1,000 megawatt power generating plant on the Letart Falls site.  Kent D. Carson, director of member relations for AMP-Ohio, said the filing of the air permit application has been a major concentration of the company since the first of the year though there are numerous (and equally important) filings and permit applications on the horizon before construction can begin.

 

Officials from AMP-Ohio had previous stated the permit process would consume two years before construction can begin possibly in 2008.  The facility is being slated to go on-line in 2012.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/05/23/news/local_news/news02.txt

 

From the 6/4/06 Gallipolis Daily Tribune:

 

 

National team visits proposed FutureGen site in Meigs County

By Brian J. Reed

Sunday, June 4, 2006 5:36 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - A delegation representing the FutureGen National Alliance visited Meigs County's proposed site for an experimental zero-emissions power plant last week, Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe said.

 

Varnadoe said a delegation from the Ohio FutureGen Task Force will visit next month to outline the state's efforts to attract the project here. In April, the Ohio FutureGen Task Force announced the selection of the Meigs County site and a location in Tuscarawas County as the two sites proposed to the Energy Department and the FutureGen Industrial Alliance. A site in Mason County, W.Va. also has been proposed.

 

MORE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/articles/2006/06/04/news/local_news/news02.txt

 

From the 6/9/06 Gallipolis Daily Tribune:

 

AEP receives extension of time in OPSB permit process

By Brian J. Reed

Friday, June 9, 2006 4:41 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - American Electric Power has requested an extension of time to answer questions from the Ohio Power Siting Board in preparation for the next step in the location of a power plant here.

 

In light of reported comments from AEP's Chief Executive Officer and recent news stories, AEP Spokesman Jeff Rennie said the company's plans to build a $1 billion plant here have not changed.

 

CEO Michael Morris has been quoted as saying AEP will likely build its first IGCC plant in Mason County, W.Va., because the state has an easier permitting process.  However, Rennie said, that does not change plans to build in Meigs County, also.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/articles/2006/06/09/news/local_news/news05.txt

 

From the 6/20/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Upcoming meetings to outline criteria for FutureGen selection

By Brian J. Reed

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 5:53 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - Officials from Meigs County will attend a meeting in Columbus next week to review the selection process for the proposed FutureGen experimental power project.  Next month, the Ohio task force promoting two sites will hold a public meeting in Meigs County to talk more about the project and the process of site election.

 

A site in southern Meigs County is one of 12 final sites across the United States now under consideration for the research facility, expected to be the world's first coal-fueled, "zero emissions" power plant. The commercial-scale plant, to be built through a public/private partnership, is designed to prove the technical and economic feasibility of producing low-cost electricity and hydrogen from coal while nearly eliminating emissions.

 

MORE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/06/20/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 6/26/06 Gallipolis Daily Tribune:

 

AMP, AEP officials to meet for infrastructure discussion

By Brian J. Reed

Monday, June 26, 2006 6:30 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - Officials with American Electric Power and American Municipal Power-Ohio will visit Meigs County in July for a joint meeting on infrastructure needs.

 

Both utility companies have announced plans to construct $1 billion clean-coal power plants in Meigs County, and while their plans are still considered tentative, county officials want to begin making plans to meet those companies' infrastructure needs.

 

Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe said Thursday the two companies have agreed to meet together early in July with county and township officials and representatives of local utility companies to discuss their needs in the way of water, sewer and highway services.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/articles/2006/06/26/news/local_news/news04.txt

 

From the 7/20/06 DDN:

 

FutureGen sites list to be pared; Ohio offering two tracts

The project is to cost $1B and create 1,000 jobs in building a coal-to-electricity demonstration operation.

By John Nolan

Staff Writer

 

DAYTON — Officials overseeing an interstate competition to attract a $1 billion demonstration project to burn coal for electricity with near-zero air pollution will announce a short list of sites next week. Two Ohio sites are in the running.

 

Leaders of the FutureGen Alliance, an energy industry consortium working with the U.S. Department of Energy to pick a project site, said they will announce the short list at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/content/business/daily/072006futuregen.html

 

From the 7/25/06 DDN:

 

Ohio won't host power plant of the future

By John Nolan

Staff Writer

 

Ohio was eliminated Tuesday from a vigorous competition to be chosen host site for FutureGen, a $1 billion project intended to demonstrate how coal can be burned with near-zero air pollution emissions to generate electricity.

 

The FutureGen Alliance, a nonprofit international consortium of coal suppliers and users working with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the project, said Tuesday in Washington, D.C., that Ohio's two nominated sites had been eliminated from the project.

 

Two sites in Illinois and two in Texas move to the next level, said Mike Mudd, the alliance's chief executive officer. The remaining sites will go through a yearlong environmental review to help choose a winner, to be announced in the second half of 2007. The plant won't begin operating until 2012.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/content/business/daily/072506futuregenweb.html

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/07/24/daily16.html 

 

FutureGen rejects Ohio sites

Business First of Columbus - 4:41 PM EDT Tuesday

 

Ohio has been eliminated as a potential home to FutureGen, a $1 billion coal-fueled, low-emissions power plant project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.  Washington, D.C.-based FutureGen Alliance, a coalition of coal companies and electric utilities, said Tuesday that two sites each in Illinois and Texas remain under consideration.

 

Ohio had proposed two sites for the plant, in Meigs County south of Athens and in Tuscarawas County in northeast Ohio.  Along with Ohio, sites in Kentucky, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming also were eliminated.

 

FutureGen said it will select a site at the end of 2007.  The facility is expected to be operational by 2012.  The project is expected to create more than 1,300 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs and would be the leading global research facility for clean-coal technology.  Supporters of the project say the facility will be the first to generate electricity and hydrogen from coal while capturing and storing carbon dioxide underground, producing almost no pollution.

 

so this plant will be the standard by the time we run out of coal?

 

Pope

 

We have so much coal (around Ohio)it unbelievable, its hard to extract though because it shell

coal. 

 

"It's more than a little ironic: Even though the US guzzles imported oil by the tanker load, it is often called the "Saudi Arabia of coal," with enough domestic reserves to last centuries. But getting America's abundant coal to where it is most needed is a growing challenge for power companies — and the railroads that supply them"

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/26/tech/main1660992.shtml

From the 8/18/06 PD:

 

Digging deep for Ohio's future

Energy development jeopardized by lack of geology info, report says

Friday, August 18, 2006

John Funk

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Future energy development may be thwarted here because the state and its utilities do not know enough about Ohio's "deep geology," the state's FutureGen Task Force said Thursday in its final report.

 

Ohio lost its bid to pioneer a $1 billion, pollution-free, coal-fired power plant last month when the FutureGen Industrial Alliance decided that sites in Illinois and Texas were more promising.

 

The experimental plant, which the Energy Department wants to be operational in six years, will attempt to convert coal to gas and remove the pollutants before burning it - and then capture the carbon dioxide from its stacks and inject it deep into underground salt formations.

 

MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/1155890238210121.xml&coll=2

 

From the 8/20/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

 

Final FutureGen report faults engineers

By Brian J. Reed

Sunday, August 20, 2006 5:13 PM EDT

 

POMEROY - Meigs County's proposed site for the FutureGen power plant was rejected, in part, because a team of engineers hired by the state failed to identify a national wildlife refuge near the site and failed to recognize the Racine Locks and Dam as an obstacle to construction.  So states a final report issued Thursday by the Ohio FutureGen Task Force, outlining a debriefing held earlier this month with the national alliance charged with selecting a site for the $1 billion experimental plant.

 

“Task Force members believe the proposed site in Meigs County has many assets that make it a viable candidate for a future power plant whose siting requirements are less stringent than those associated with a first-of-a-kind prototype plant such as FutureGen,” the report states.  “The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority is currently exploring potential remedies with its contractors for the failure to identify these issues.”

 

MORE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/08/20/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

Ohio battles power-plant consultant

State questions errors, ethics as it withholds pay for work on FutureGen

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Spencer Hunt

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

After losing a contest to house an experimental $1 billion power plant, Ohio officials stopped payments to a consulting firm they hired to help them win.

 

The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority agreed to pay energy-engineering firm Worley-Parsons as much as $680,000 to help find and pitch ideal spots for FutureGen, a coal-burning power plant that is expected to be pollution-free. Ohio was one of seven states competing for the prize.

 

Ohio’s hopes were dashed July 25 when the power and coal companies that make up the FutureGen Alliance chose finalist sites in Illinois and Texas.

 

MORE: http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/09/20060909-B1-00.html

From the 9/17/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

AEP awaits Great Bend project hearings

By Brian J. Reed

Sunday, September 17, 2006 5:24 PM EDT

 

GREAT BEND - The Ohio Power Siting Board has accepted American Electric Power's application for a new power plant in Lebanon Township, and AEP is awaiting dates for two public hearings on that application.  The OPSB is the state agency that will approve or deny AEP's plan to locate an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle at its Great Bend site.

 

In April, two groups, the Ohio Energy Users and the Industrial Energy Users of Ohio filed motions to intervene in the case, and IEU-Ohio also filed a motion to amend or dismiss the application.  Those motions were denied in June, while AEP was granted an extension on completing its application.

 

According to AEP spokesman Jeff Rennie, public hearings on the application will be held both in Meigs County and at Public Utilities Commission of Ohio headquarters in Columbus.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/09/17/news/local_news/news02.txt

 

From the 10/5/06 Dispatch:

 

AEP seeks OK to build clean-coal plant in Ohio

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Paul Wilson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

American Electric Power has asked for an environmental permit to build a clean-coal operation in Meigs County, despite pending appeals from consumer groups that say the utility shouldn’t make customers pay for the plant.

 

The Columbus-based utility made the request this week to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.  AEP also asked West Virginia authorities for permission to build a plant in that state.  AEP says the two 629-megawatt coal plants, which would generate electricity and carbon dioxide while stripping away pollutants that create smog, soot and acid rain, are necessary to meet customers’ growing power needs.

 

This project is different from the experimental FutureGen coal plant, which state officials hoped could be built near AEP’s proposed site in Meigs County.  Sites in Illinois and Texas are finalists for the plant, billed as the world’s first pollution-free power station.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/05/20061005-G2-00.html

 

From the 11/7/06 DDN:

 

 

Ohio could win part of FutureGen project

Feds want partners to test ways to push coal-burning waste into underground pockets instead of into air.

By John Nolan

Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

 

Ohio lost out in July in a nationwide competition to host FutureGen, a prototype for the coal-burning power plant of the future, but there could be a chance for the state to participate in research to support the project.

 

The U.S. Department of Energy plans in 2007 to choose partners to receive more than $450 million in funding over 10 years to test methods of injecting carbon dioxide thousands of feet underground, rather than releasing that waste into the air as pollution from coal combustion.

 

MORE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/business/2006/11/06/ddn110706coalresearch.html

 

From the 11/10/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Commissioners in support of AMP-Ohio development grant

By Brian J. Reed

Friday, November 10, 2006 11:27 PM EST

 

POMEROY - Meigs County Commissioners approved a resolution in support of state funding to assist in site preparation for the proposed American Municipal Power - Ohio power plant in Letart Township.

 

The resolution approved at Thursday's meeting supports funding through the Ohio Department of Development's Job Ready Sites program.  The competitive program, approved by voters, creates types of sites or facilities that do not exist or are not available in sufficient quantities within the state.

 

Those sites are said to offer an immediate, economy-shifting impact in communities.  The program is funded by $150 million in bonds issued by the state. Grant recipients will receive up to $5 million per project site, up to 75 percent of the total project cost. 

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/11/10/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 11/17/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

AMP-Ohio schedules public meeting at Southern

By Beth Sergent

Friday, November 17, 2006 8:58 PM EST

 

RACINE — American Municipal Power - Ohio (AMP-Ohio) has scheduled an informational meeting associated with the filing of its Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) permit for the American Municipal Power Generating Station (AMPGS) in Letart Falls.  The meeting will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Southern Elementary School.

 

The meeting is a requirement for the upcoming filing with OPSB and is described as a chance for the public to receive more specific information about the plant and speak with AMP-Ohio representatives about not only the plant but the plant’s five-mile transmission line that goes from Letart to Sutton Township and ends at a substation south of Racine.

 

Construction on the 1,000 megawatt facility is tentatively anticipated to begin in 2008-09. The plant’s online date remains 2012.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/11/17/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 12/7/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Large crowd attends first AMP-Ohio meeting

By Beth Sergent

Thursday, December 7, 2006 5:40 PM EST

 

RACINE - Judging from the size of the crowd at this week's informational meeting for the proposed American Municipal Power Generating Station (AMPGS) power plant in Letart Falls, community interest has definitely been peaked.

 

The informational meeting was held by American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio) in anticipation of the company's upcoming permit filing with the Ohio Power Siting Board which may happen in January.  The meeting was a requirement of the permit process and was meant to provide information to the public about the coal-fired power plant.

 

The meeting began with comments from Jolene Thompson, vice president of AMP-Ohio public affairs and Scott Kiesewetter, manager of new plant engineering.  Kiesewetter emphasized the AMPGS power plant would be one of the “cleanest” of its kind.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/12/07/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 12/14/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Support of AEP proposal overwhelming at OPSB hearing

By Brian J. Reed

Thursday, December 14, 2006 5:46 PM EST

 

POMEROY - Elected officials, labor leaders and residents testified in support of American Electric Power's plans to build a new clean-coal power plant in Meigs County, at a hearing Tuesday at Meigs High School.

 

The hearing was the first of two to be conducted by the Ohio Power Siting Board on AEP's application to construct an integrated gasification combined cycle power plant on property it owns in Lebanon Township.  A second hearing will be held later this month for those who have filed as parties in the application process.

 

All but one of those testifying at last night's hearing reiterated support of the project, among them County Commissioner Mick Davenport, Chamber of Commerce President-elect Hal Kneen, Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe and several representatives of the building trades.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/12/14/news/local_news/news00.txt

 

From the 12/21/06 Athens News:

 

Opposition mounting against power plants

By Nick Claussen

Athens NEWS Associate Editor

Thursday, December 21st, 2006

 

While area political, business and community leaders have been rallying around the idea of locating one or more new power plants in Meigs County, opposition is beginning to mount against the proposal.

 

At least two different power plants are proposed for Meigs County, one by American Electric Power and the other by American Municipal Power.  Southeast Ohio economic-development officials have praised plans for the power plants, saying that if they locate here, they will bring hundreds of jobs and provide a big boost to economically depressed Meigs County and the region.

 

The Meigs Community Action Network (CAN), though, is concerned about a possible increase in mining and potential problems caused by the power plants and related businesses.  "Our group is just now forming," confirmed Elisa Young, a member of Meigs CAN.  The group has held two meetings so far and will meet again in early January.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://athensnews.com/index.php?action=viewarticle&section=news&story_id=26896

 

From the 12/25/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel:

 

Permit process, design delay IGCC project

By Brian J. Reed

Monday, December 25, 2006 6:01 PM EST

 

POMEROY - A second hearing before the Ohio Power Siting Board on American Electric Power's plans to construct a new power plant in Lebanon Township has been continued into next year.  AEP spokesman Jeff Rennie said AEP does not expect a decision on cost recovery for construction of the plant until 2008, and that will delay operation of the integrated gasification combined cycle plant until 2012.

 

An engineering study to have been finished by year's end has not yet been completed, Rennie said, and that will also delay the process of receiving approval of cost recovery for the plant.

 

The Ohio Power Siting Board, which will ultimately determine whether AEP may construct the plant on its Meigs County site, conducted a public hearing on AEP's application earlier this month at Meigs High School.  An evidentiary hearing was scheduled for Dec. 14, but was continued to Jan. 30.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/12/25/news/local_news/news03.txt