US seeking clean coal collaboration from Australia

The US and Australia talking about clean coal technology? This won’t be the first time the two nations have broached the subject. Nearly a year ago, Prime Minister Rudd met with President Obama at the White House to discuss strategies for combating climate change, where the American president indicated that the U.S. would partner with Australia and other nations in the Australian initiative for a global carbon capture and storage institute.

Since that time, Wyo. Gov. David Freudenthal has been working with a task force at the president’s behest to deliver a federal strategy on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology by August. The governor also recognizes the value of collaborating with Australia on commercial-scale CCS.

In fact, during a recent trip to Brisbane, the Trading Room reports that the governor endorsed a U.S-Australia partnership saying, “What we are really looking for are some opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with the university sector, the government sector and the private sector,” adding that the public needs to acknowledge that it doesn’t matter whether large-scale deployment is “figured out in Wyoming or Queensland or wherever, somebody’s got to figure it out and the technologies need to be broadly available.”

The two states—American and Australian, respectively—are currently working on a clean coal plant, which the Trading Room notes has been shortlisted for the federal government’s CCS flagship program.

With coal providing around 80 percent of Australia’s electricity, the country certainly understands the effect of this abundant resource on its jobs, energy security and overall livelihood—factors with which the U.S. can identify as well.

We’re looking forward to hearing what comes out of any meetings—and will be sure to post the takeaways here on Behind the Plug.

The Coal Wire: March 18, 2010 Posted by Steve Gates on 03/18/2010 03:15:34 PM

Climatewire, E&E News (3/16): "What started out as an experiment, according to the [Anadarko Petroleum Corp.], is now the biggest carbon storage project in North America. Its results have rocked Wyoming. State officials, who estimate Wyoming supplies about 10 percent of the nation's fossil fuels -- including a third of its coal -- had been worrying about the potential impact of federal greenhouse gas regulations. Anadarko had demonstrated how it could produce what it calls 'green oil' by burying a large amount of man-made greenhouse gas."

Bloomberg (3/16): "Former President Bill Clinton told lawmakers the U.S. may fall behind China in the race to dominate the global market for clean energy unless Congress passes climate-change legislation, two senators said."

Reuters UK (3/17): "Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE.L) has been awarded 6.3 million pounds ($9.45 million) in funding for a clean coal project in Yorkshire, the government said on Wednesday. SSE's pilot project to capture climate-warming carbon from a small part of its Ferrybridge coal-fired power plant will form part of a new carbon capture and storage (CCS) economic area covering Yorkshire and Humber, it said."

Polish Market Online (3/17): "In his address at the Silesia Power Meeting, [Poland's Chief National Geologist] Henryk Jezierski emphasised the essential role the Ministry of the Environment plays in implementing in Poland the state-of-the-art technology of safe storage of carbon dioxide in geological formations, including by means of supporting demonstration projects on drilling a pilot well to test CO2 pressure pumping into deep saline aquifers..."

Odessa American News (3/17): "US Department of Energy has moved the ‘clean coal’ plant one step further along" in announcing last week that it had “awarded a cooperative agreement to Summit Texas Clean Energy LLC to design, build and demonstrate a coal-gasification plant.”

The Globe and Mail (3/17): "Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) announced last month that they have developed a clean way to turn the cheapest kind of coal - lignite, common in Texas - into synthetic crude. 'We go from that [lignite coal] to this really nice liquid,' Brian Dennis, a member of the research team, said in describing the synthetic crude that can be refined into gasoline."

Coal’s low cost goes a long way Posted by Steve Gates on 03/18/2010 01:14:35 PM

Some people have been talking a lot about natural gas lately – but the fact they seem to keep skipping over is that electricity from natural gas costs three times more than power from American coal.

We know that meeting America’s growing energy needs will require the use of all our domestic energy resources, but replacing coal with higher-priced fuels doesn’t seem like a good idea – especially as our economy is finally starting to rebound. The numbers just don’t add up.

Our new print advertisement sets the record straight on natural gas. Check it out.

All fuels are not created equal Posted by Steve Gates on 03/17/2010 02:07:02 PM

Some people don’t realize that fossil fuels come with different price tags. And in a country where low-cost energy is always in demand, this is an important distinction.

We’re letting American consumers know that natural gas costs three times more than coal and is not a replacement for our nation’s most abundant, reliable fuel.

Coal’s affordable pricing has helped keep businesses competitive, created jobs for American workers and provided families with low-cost energy. And it will continue to do so.

See the full advertisement here, and learn more about the bottom line.

Natural gas is not a replacement for coal Posted by Steve Gates on 03/16/2010 03:50:14 PM

Everyone loves a good rollercoaster ride, but not when it’s on your electricity bill. Some folks are saying that natural gas can be an alternative to American coal, but that’s just not the case.

In one of our new print advertisements, we set the record straight. Natural gas costs three times more than coal, and like a wild rollercoaster ride, the price has a tendency to swing up and down.

Things don’t have to be this way. Coal, our most abundant resource, generates almost 50 percent of our electricity at a price that consumers can afford.

As we say in our advertisement, we don’t have to get on that rollercoaster.

The Coal Wire: March 15, 2010 Posted by Steve Gates on 03/15/2010 04:03:32 PM

David Peugh, Arch Coal VP of business development, Wall Street Journal(3/11): "Trailblazer will harness the most advanced coal-based technologies to supply secure, low-carbon production of electricity to the rapidly growing Texas marketplace ... Furthermore, Trailblazer's success could set the stage for a new generation of power plants fueled with America's most abundant, reliable and cost-competitive fuel."

Mike Morris, CEO of American Electric Power Co., Bloomberg News (3/11): “A delay in US climate legislation will give utilities time to develop systems to burn coal with fewer carbon-dioxide emissions. ... You’re really looking at a regime that probably starts in 2020, and by 2020 we will have demonstrated the deployability of carbon capture and storage, probably on a very wide basis.”

The Star Phoenix- CanWest (3/11): "Premier Brad Wall told reporters the federal government has already made financial commitments to some of the major projects, including $250 million in trust for the Boundary Dam clean coal project.

Construction workers are needed to build power plants Posted by Steve Gates on 03/12/2010 10:03:47 AM

Construction workers are an indispensable part of the coal industry. Why? Because without their skilled labor and craftsmanship, who would build new power plants or retrofit existing ones with the latest clean coal technologies?

That’s why President Obama’s call for “five to 10 commercial [clean coal] demonstration projects to be up and running by 2016” last month is great for the construction industry.

Clean coal projects like these have the potential to provide both temporary and permanent work opportunities for folks with the skills needed to build those plants.

For example, FutureGen, a proposed commercial-scale carbon capture plant in Illinois, will need about 1,500 jobs during construction.

Now, imagine if the government required our nation’s entire fleet of coal-generated power plants to be retrofitted with the latest technology or called for more brand-new power plants. That could create a serious number of construction jobs.

Of course, there are many different trades within the construction industry. Boilermakers, plumbers, pipefitters, electrical workers, iron-workers, steel-erectors and welders are just a few of the occupations that pertain to power plant building. For a full list of construction trades, check out the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ handy career guide.

And make sure you stay tuned to Behind the Plug, where we’ll continue to explore the many kinds of work opportunities that can be created by continued investment in coal technologies.

The Coal Wire: March 11, 2010 Posted by Steve Gates on 03/11/2010 04:29:29 PM

Courier-News (3/8): “Coal's greatest virtues are that 1.) it is cheap, making electricity almost as economically as nuclear plants and 2.) it is found in gigantic quantities in our own country. The United States has been called ’the Saudi Arabia of coal’.”

McCook Daily Gazette Editorial Board (3/8): “Yes, alternative energy needs to be pursued, and it's good to see that a wind project is being planned in our area. And, President Obama's embrace of nuclear power as a ‘clean’ source of energy is a positive sign. But the continued availability of cheap, reliable power from coal is an important tool in the effort to revive and expand Nebraska's economy.”

Sec. of Energy Steven Chu (3/9): “We can still be the leader in this new industrial revolution…but the train is leaving the station.”

Sec. of Energy Steven Chu, Bloomberg News (3/9): “…Government funding will help the US keep pace with China and other countries that are developing clean energy technologies.”

Sec. of Energy Steven Chu (3/9): “Advancing our carbon capture and storage technology will create new jobs in America and reduce our carbon pollution output. It’s another example of our country’s innovation at work.”

Smartplanet (3/9): “Calera … has devised a process to treat CO2 emissions with seawater to form CaCO3, with which they make cement, a component of concrete.’ If the technology is ‘feasible on a large scale, the company sees an opportunity for 100-percent-clean coal power.’”

Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette (3/10): "There’s a lot America can do to improve the environment without adopting a plan that curbs the air pollution emitted by power plants that burn coal.”

Findings of Wyoming State Geological Survey (3/10): “Approximately 750 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) could be sequestered in southwestern Wyoming’s Rock Springs Uplift over a 50-year period.”

Stanford University study, Wall Street Journal (3/10): “Increasing the efficiency of Chinese coal combustion may represent a much greater opportunity for CO2 mitigation in the near term.”

Times of India (3/11): "The power sector accounts for nearly 60% of carbon emissions as nearly two-thirds of electricity is generated by coal-burning plants in the country. The ministry is spearheading several initiatives such as preparing ground for trading in energy efficiency certificates and induction of clean-coal and 'super-critical' power plant technologies."

Introducing Wendy: an environmentalist in the coal industry Posted by Steve Gates on 03/11/2010 09:52:35 AM

In our latest series of videos featuring real Americans sharing their stories about the importance of coal, you’ll meet somebody with whom I felt an instant connection the moment we met.

Wendy Hutchinson is in charge of environmental compliance for the reclamation programs for Arch Coal’s Black Thunder Mine—one of the largest coal mines in North America. What immediately comes upon meeting Wendy is her strong love of the land. And it’s this strong commitment to land conservation that propels her passion for the job she does every day.

Wendy grew up in Ohio and went to “The” Ohio State University (we joked with her about how the NFL players say “the” Ohio State University and she couldn’t say it with a straight face). And growing up, she loved the outdoors. She loves horses (her husband gave her a horse for their engagement), and she loves to ride. She had a dream to one day own a ranch, and today, she and her husband own a buffalo ranch near Gillette, Wyo. She’s proud of that ranch and the fact that she and her husband (along with others) have been successful in helping to bring buffalo back to their native habitat where they are thriving.

Wendy wants to share that dream with others. She is clear that what they are doing at Black Thunder is temporarily borrowing land that was traditionally used for agricultural purposes, removing the natural resource (coal) that is under the surface, and then returning the land to its original purpose – for agriculture or wildlife habitat.

If you’ve never been to the Powder River Basin, you should go. They have some of the most beautiful wildlife areas, many of which are the result of award-winning land reclamation projects on former mine properties.

Wendy knows that her job will one day allow someone like her—somebody who wants to own a ranch, to live and work on the property that is now being mined at Black Thunder—to feel good about their valuable piece of land. In fact, Wendy pointed out that reclaimed mine land is actually more productive for agriculture purposes than the native lands.

It is for all of these reasons that I immediately felt a connection with Wendy. She is, as she says it, an environmentalist working for a coal mine. An environmentalist she is, and she lives up to that title every day.

I too am an environmentalist. I believe that new technologies are making coal a clean energy option for us each day, which is a good thing because coal is going to be used around the world to keep the lights on at an affordable rate for Americans. In fact, many of us are environmentalists. We’re all trying to do the right thing every day to ensure that we protect the planet for future generations while finding solutions so that we may live productive lives today.

Wendy has an exceptional story to tell, and I hope you’ll take the time to get to know her as I have.

As world acts, U.S. should increase CCS investment Posted by Steve Gates on 03/10/2010 11:46:31 AM

The quest for a clean energy future is underway, and countries across the globe are aggressively moving forward with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

The British Parliament recently announced it would launch a government-funded effort to test commercial-scale carbon capture technology on two British coal plants, according to E&E News.

Coal plants in Kingsnorth, developed by utility E.ON, and Longannet, owned by Scottish Power, could potentially receive “tens of millions of pounds,” says the Financial Times. In fact, the U.K. government plans to raise approximately £9.5 billion -- almost 19 billion U.S. dollars – toward CCS research, testing and project development.

That’s a lot of money. With that kind of support, Britain’s chances for serious advancements in clean coal improve dramatically. The U.S. will have to keep pace if we want to be a global leader in CCS.

So what are we doing to get ahead?

A lot, actually. In February, President Obama created the Clean Coal Task Force to help launch up to 10 commercial power plants with carbon capture capabilities. But unlike the U.K., we have yet to declare a dollar figure on federal CCS funding. It’s good to see clean coal is a priority, but we’re falling behind in large-scale investment.

The U.S. needs to increase financial support of clean coal planning, research and development if it wants to remain competitive in the clean energy race, and we’ve got to take action now. Our country has the technological know-how, the resources and the business-savvy, but without a tangible government committment, commercial-scale CCS will struggle to reach fruition.