Cleaner coal technology the focus of new $33M project

Edmonton, AB – A $33-million research project aims to find the cleanest ways to generate electricity from Alberta’s reserves of coal. The three-year project is one of the first to be funded under Alberta’s new $200 million Energy Innovation Fund.

The Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study is collaboration between the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI), the Canadian Clean Power Coalition (CCPC) and EPCOR. Using funding allocated under the new Energy Innovation Fund, AERI will provide $11 million, one third of the project costs, over three years. EPCOR and CCPC are responsible for the balance of the funding, and they are inviting participation by other stakeholders.

The study will research the best design for a power generation facility capable of removing significant percentages of emissions including nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury and carbon dioxide, using Alberta coal as its feedstock. EPCOR’s Genesee site outside Edmonton will host the study.

“By converting coal into gas, and capturing carbon dioxide, we can create electricity that’s even cleaner than the best natural gas facility operating today,” asserts Dr David Lewin, CCPC chair.

The results of the study will be available to the members of Canadian Clean Power Coalition and Alberta companies. The FEED study will provide investors with information they need to make decisions regarding the construction of a commercial demonstration plant. If the results are positive, a demonstration facility may be built, with completion expected about 2015.