NRECA CEO Glenn English called on lawmakers to invest in the nascent technology that will be needed to reduce the greenhouse gases produced by coal-fired power generation in testimony given to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

“Cooperatives are at the cutting edge in demonstrating the viability of integrated CCS [carbon capture and storage] technology,” English told the Committee. “Basin Electric Power Cooperative has issued a request for proposals for a demonstration pilot project to retrofit its Antelope Valley Station near Beulah, ND … that will evaluate various types of CO2 removal technologies in an effort to determine which one or ones might be technologically and economically feasible.”

Dakota Gasification, a subsidiary of Basin Electric, has demonstrated successful gasification-based CO2 capture, compression and storage at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant since 2000. The synfuels plant is a chemical plant that gasifies lignite coal to produce natural gas and other products. The demonstration project would feed CO2 captured at its Antelope Valley Station power plant into the existing compression and pipeline system.

“Federal policies, RDD&D [research, development, demonstration and deployment] funding, and incentives are essential to these large-scale demonstrations and full commercial availability of CCS technology,” English said.

While noting barriers to the widespread adoption of CCS technologies – cost, liability for the release of CO2, the absence of a regulatory framework, lack of infrastructure – English commended the House for taking an important first step in authorizing funds for CCS research, development and demonstration.

“There are a number of additional actions that the Congress can take to accelerate the development of CCS technologies,” English said. “Fully funding federal RDD&D programs integral to CCS, such as DOE’s coal research program, the Clean Coal Power Initiative, and the FutureGen project, is key to the availability of CCS.”

English added that financial incentives for research such as tax credits and loan guarantees should be made available to all segments of the electric power sector, including not-for-profit cooperatives.