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Overview |
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Coal
Gasification and IGCC Technologies Explained |
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Technology Status |
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Coal Gasification
Compared to Natural Gas and Other Technologies |
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More Information |
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Overview |
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Demand for electricity continues to grow in the United States
and around the world. With U.S. natural gas prices now exceeding
$5 per trillion cubic feet, more utilities and independent power
producers are proposing new coal-fed powerplants. The following
information has been assembled to provide reporters and editors
with ready access to documents about coal gasification and the
electrical generating technology known as integrated
gasification combined cycle (IGCC). |
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Coal Gasification
and IGCC Technologies Explained |
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Coal gasification is a process that converts coal from a solid
to a gaseous state; it's a process that has been known and refined
for more than 100 years.
IGCC is a technology that generates electricity from the synthetic gas produced from
the gasification of coal or other
hydrocarbons. There are
many excellent sources explaining both coal gasification and
IGCC, including: |
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How Coal Gasification Powerplants Work, U.S. Department
of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, October 13,
2004.
 Page Link |
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What Is Gasification?,
Gasification Technologies Council.
Page Link |
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Fundamentals of Gasification, Ross Fava (Shell
Global Solutions), Gasification
Technologies Workshop, June 8, 2004 (21 pages).
Summary |
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Technology Status |
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Coal-based IGCC has been demonstrated successfully at four
medium-size (≈250 MWe) facilities. Two of
these powerplants are located in the United States (Indiana and
Florida) and two in Europe (Holland and Spain). All four plants
remain operational, but not all continue to use coal as their
primary energy source. Nonetheless, there has been enough
design, engineering, construction, and operational experience to
enable the development of large-scale (500 to 1,000 MWe) coal-fed IGCC projects
and several such projects are under consideration.
To learn more about the status of the technology, the following documents
are recommended: |
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Industry In Transition - The 2004 World
Gasification Survey, James Childress (Gasification
Technologies Council), 2004 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 3, 2004 (15 pages).
Summary |
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IGCC - The Stars Are Aligned, Roger Goodman
(Cambridge Energy Research Associates), 2004
Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004
(7 pages).
Summary |
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Coal-Based IGCC Plants - Recent
Operations and Lessons Learned, Neville Holt
(EPRI), 2004 Gasification Technology Conference, October
3, 2004 (13 pages).
Summary |
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IGCC's Environmental and Operational Capabilities Today,
David Denton (Eastman Gasification Services),
Gasification Technologies Workshop, June 8, 2004 (21
pages).
Summary |
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Pioneering Gasification Plants, U.S. Department
of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, 2004.
Page Link |
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Testimony of J. Brian Ferguson - Eastman
Chemical Company, U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy
and Air Quality, "Future Options for Generation of
Electricity from Coal," June 23, 2003 (8 pages).
Summary |
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Coal Gasification
Compared to Natural Gas and Other Technologies |
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Most of the new electric powerplants installed in the United
States during the last 20 years were fueled with natural gas.
This situation can be traced to two primary factors: (1) natural
gas plants have a low capital cost; and (2) they have very low emission rates.
Unfortunately, natural gas prices have risen dramatically in the
last few years and many natural gas facilities have recently
been mothballed or are generating electricity only during "peak"
periods. |
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Now, as more baseload capacity is needed across America, power
planners, utility executives, and state public utility
commissioners are actively looking for clean, cost-competitive
alternatives to natural gas. IGCC, the cleanest of the clean
coal technologies, is one such alternative that deserves
priority attention. For more on this subject, see: |
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Gasification Offers Significant Environmental and
Economic Benefits, Gasification Technologies
Council.
Page Link |
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The Commissioner's Challenge, David
Hadley (Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission), 2004
Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004
(10 pages).
Summary |
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IGCC - AEP's Pathway for the Future of
Coal, Robert Powers (American Electric Power), 2004
Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004
(12 pages).
Summary |
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Pulverized Coal and IGCC Plant Cost and
Performance Estimates, George Booras and Neville Holt
(EPRI), 2004 Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004
(9 pages).
Summary |
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Clean Coal Technologies, Colin Henderson
(IEA Clean Coal Centre), 2003, (42 pages).
Summary |
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To Convert or Not to Convert - Understanding the
NG to IGCC Conversion Option, Norman Shilling, Robert Jones,
and Ravi Annigeri (GE Energy), 2004 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 3, 2004 (11 pages).
Summary |
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Coal and Wind: Thoughts on the Future of Generation in a
High-Priced and Volatile Natural Gas Market, Charles
Linderman (Edison Electric Institute), National Energy Modeling
System/Annual Energy Outlook 2004, March 23, 2004 (23 pages).
Summary |
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More Information |
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This Web site contains: news
stories from around the globe; relevant facts about
gasification, igcc powerplants, electricity, coal, and natural
gas; case studies from operating coal gasification projects; and
links to all of the sources that we rely upon. In addition, the
clean-energy. us documents database contains nearly 400 items from recent
gasification conferences and other sources. The following topics
may be of particular interest to the media: |
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Technology Explanations - Gasification of Coal and Other
Hydrocarbons |
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Technology Explanations - Integrated Gasification
Combined Cycle (IGCC) |
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Trends and Developments - Worldwide |
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Trends and Developments - North America |
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IGCC vs. Other Power Generation Technologies |
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Project Financing - IGCC Market Penetration |
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General Environmental Assessments |
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Emissions and Residues - Criteria Air Pollutants |
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Emissions and Residues - Airborne Mercury |
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Emissions and Residues - Carbon Dioxide |
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Projects in Commercial Operation - Eastman |
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Projects in Commercial Operation - Polk |
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Projects in Commercial Operation - Wabash River |
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Projects in Commercial Operation - Great Plains |
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Projects in Commercial Operation - Multi-project Case
Studies |
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Additional topics |
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