Some CO2 from the plant may be captured, or the company can buy carbon offsets instead if they don't capture enough. Currently, their IEPA permit doesn't require them to capture any carbon at all. Some CO2 may also be sold on the market through a $1 Billion pipeline proposed across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi that would connect to "Enhanced Oil Recovery" projects along the Gulf Coast.
The company often points out that the entire process will make the plant's air pollution comparable to a natural gas plant. That's a real accomplishment for a coal facility. But it makes me wonder. Is there another alternative that would have low emissions comparable to natural gas that doesn't involve billions in subsidies and extra costs on consumers?
Oh yeah! Actual natural gas!
New discoveries mean natural gas is abundant, cheap, and cleaner than coal. Not only that, we already have natural gas plants online that aren't being used to full capacity.
They're also more compatible with wind farms because they power up in response to wind fluctuations faster than coal plants can. If we want to grow new wind farms, then solar and natural gas are much more complementary power sources than coal.
So why should we spend billions in taxpayer dollars to construct a very expensive, unproven substitute for something that's already built, plentiful, cheap, and cleaner? Well, it's good for the Illinois coal mining industry.
Politicians and economic development officials who live in the past hold onto the idea that coal always has been and always will be the economic engine driving the downstate economy. We're supposed to believe that what's good for the coal industry is good for Illinois.
As I've written before, mine mechanization (not environmental regulation) is the primary reason why the United States has lost most coal jobs, even while the amount of coal being extracted goes up. Building more plants won't bring a significant number of mining jobs back to Illinois.
It's a false hope being peddled by the coal industry and it's the wrong way to revitalize our regional economy. If we want real economic growth in downstate Illinois then we need politicians to stop pandering with coal industry nostalgia and start creating real green jobs.