NewsWest 9
FutureGen is a project of the U.S. Government for a near zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant that produces hydrogen and electricity while capturing carbon.
President Bush first announced the plans in February of 2003, and one year later, a full report from the Department of Energy was presented to Congress.
Also in 2004, the Railroad Commission visited the Permian Basin to announce the opportunity for cities to make a bid for the project.
Those bids were finally made in May of 2006, consisting of 12 sites in 7 states.
Two months later on July 25th, 2006, those sites were narrowed to four.
Two in Illinois, another in Jewett, Texas, and here in the Permian Basin.
Construction is set to begin in 2009, and be complete by 2012.
The FutureGen alliance estimates 600-700 jobs will be created during the construction phase, and they expect a permanent workforce of 200.
