The US Department of Energy (DOE) has committed $64m in federal funding for the cost-shared research and development (R&D) into future coal-fired power plants.

Funding for the projects is part of DOE’s Coal flexible, innovative, resilient, small, transformative (FIRST) initiative.

Funded by DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, Coal FIRST is an R&D programme that has been created to advance coal generation technologies that offer secure, stable and reliable power.

The US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette said: “Coal is a critical resource for grid stability that will be used in developing countries around the world well into the future as they build their economies.

“Investing in R&D for cleaner coal technologies will allow us to develop the next generation of coal plants for countries to use this valuable natural resource in an environmentally responsible manner.”

The Coal FIRST initiative will see the development of coal power plants that will provide secure and reliable power to the US grid.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

DOE will focus on the projects, which develop critical components essential for the transformational coal-fired systems and Coal FIRST.

To support Coal FIRST, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will manage the projects.

Fossil Energy Assistant Secretary Steven Winberg said: “The evolving US energy mix requires cleaner, more reliable and highly efficient plants.

“Technologies developed for the Coal FIRST initiative will lead to just that, reliable, highly efficient plants with zero or near-zero emissions.”

The assessment of the potential future power plant concept designs assisted in defining the R&D sought under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA).

The FOA focuses on seven areas of interest (AOIs), including pressurised fluidised bed combustor with supercritical steam cycle power plant system, indirect supercritical carbon dioxide power plant system, direct-fired supercritical carbon dioxide power plant system and gasification-based poly-generation.

It will also focus on coal-fired direct injection combustion engine and gas turbine compound reheat combined cycle power plant system, as well as modular staged pressurised oxy-combustion power plant system and flameless pressurised oxy-combustion power plant system.

DOE is planning to select up to 14 projects under the FOA.