The News-Gazette.com: FutureGen Alliance meets to drum up more support

FutureGen Alliance meets to drum up more support

By Meg Thilmony

Wednesday, February 6, 2008 2:42 PM CDT

MATTOON – Leaders of the FutureGen Alliance are putting their heads together at closed board meetings in Mattoon to talk about how to get Congress to support the $1.8 billion plant.

The Department of Energy announced last week it was dropping plans for the plant.

Before going into the closed session, FutureGen leaders held a press conference in which they emphasized that the FutureGen board will consider how to get Congressional support for the plant.

Congress could choose to fund the Mattoon site, reversing the Department of Energy's decision to support sev-eral commercial power plants at multiple sites.

"I do not believe it has a chance to go forward in its current state without government and private funding," said Paul Thompson, chairman of the alliance board.

Michael Mudd, CEOof the alliance, said he still wants to see the plant built in Mattoon, and believes the alliance can achieve that.

"We intend to do justice to the hard work (Coles County residents) have done to ensure FutureGen is built here," Mudd said.

Both he and Thompson said they'd like to negotiate with the Department of Energy to work on the original project, but Mudd said such talks haven't happened.

Another decision the alliance will have to address is whether to submit a proposal to the Department of Energy to be considered in the new plans for several commercial-scale plants. Those proposals are due in early March.

Thompson doesn't expect the alliance to go that route but said directors will discuss it.

The alliance comprises 13 power companies from around the world, and two more want to join, Thompson said.

Also to be discussed at the board meeting, Thompson said, is whether the project would be better suited for another U.S. location or another country.