The project will employ coal gasification technology integrated with combined cycle electricity generation and the sequestration of carbon dioxide emissions. The project will be supported by DOE’s ongoing coal research program, which will also be the principal source of technology for the prototype. The project will be led by the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, Inc., a non-profit industrial consortium representing the coal and power industries, with the project results being shared among all participants, and industry as a whole.   

Under the terms of the provisional agreement between DOE and the FutureGen Alliance, the following activities will be pursued from the end of July 2009 through early 2010:

• Preliminary design activities;
• Completion of a site-specific preliminary design and cost estimate;
• Expansion of the Alliance sponsorship group;
• Development of a complete funding plan; and
• Potential additional subsurface characterization.

The Department of Energy's total anticipated financial contribution for the project is $1.073 billion, $1 billion of which comes from Recovery Act funds for carbon capture and storage research. The FutureGen Alliance's total anticipated financial contribution is $400 million to $600 million, based on a goal of 20 member companies each contributing a total of $20 million to $30 million over a four to six year period. The Alliance, with support from DOE, will pursue options to raise additional non-federal funds needed to build and operate the facility, including options for capturing the value of the facility that will remain after conclusion of the research project, potentially through an auction of the residual interests in the late fall.