The FutureGen Alliance has affirmed that Morgan County will remain the preferred location for a CO2 storage site and that the Alliance will no longer maintain alternate sites.

Recent geologic testing and engineering studies have confirmed that the Morgan County site is an excellent location for CO2 storage.

"Affirming Morgan County as the preferred site for FutureGen 2.0 is a significant step forward for the project,” said FutureGen Alliance Chief Executive Ken Humphreys. "This decision allows us to proceed with final permitting for the Morgan County site. The Morgan County community has been extremely welcoming, and we look forward to continuing our partnership and moving FutureGen 2.0 forward. We are grateful for the support we have received from both Christian and Douglas Counties, and for the assistance of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois State Geological Survey, who provided invaluable support during the site selection process."

In February 2011, the Alliance initially selected the Morgan County as its preferred site after an in-depth review of proposals received in an open and competitive solicitation process for sites that were interested in hosting the FutureGen 2.0 CO2 storage project. Since that time, the Alliance has tested the geologic conditions at the proposed storage site and has found that the site is geologically stable, has a regionally extensive primary caprock formation and secondary caprock formations and has a reservoir capacity sufficient to permanently store the CO2 that will be generated by the FutureGen 2.0 project.

Because the Alliance is confident that the site meets regulatory requirements, it is proceeding with an application for a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permit for only the Morgan County site. Additionally, the Alliance has acquired the underground pore space necessary for the proposed Morgan County storage site.

Desktop and field environmental studies have also been conducted to confirm the absence of any sensitive environmental resources that could be adversely affected by the project.

Source: http://www.carboncapturejournal.com/displaynews.php?NewsID=987&PHPSESSID=mmpj7lh3tbba5mjhv5q10fkhc0

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