Over the next few weeks, data collected from the well - including caprock and reservoir rock core samples from the Mt Simon sandstone formation - will undergo further testing to confirm the geology for CO2 storage, but the Alliance said preliminary findings were "extremely positive".
Ken Humphreys, CEO of the FutureGen Alliance, said: “This is an important milestone in the FutureGen 2.0 programme and was completed ahead of schedule. The drilling team reached the final depth on time and collected critical data and subsurface samples.
"Preliminary sample testing indicates that the geology is suitable to store CO2 from the Meredosia power plant. This data from the characterisation well will not only benefit FutureGen 2.0, but will also add to the understanding of the Illinois geology.”
The drill rig will now be removed from the well site and a smaller service rig installed in order to conduct hydrologic testing of the reservoir rock. Results from this testing will provide important data for designing the CO2 storage site, the Alliance said. Once testing is complete, the well will be configured as a monitoring well for future phases of the project.
The FutureGen Alliance restructured – and renamed – the original FutureGen project. It now aims to refit one 200MW unit at Ameren's power plant in Meredosia, Illinois, with advanced oxy-combustion technology that will capture around 90% of the plant’s emissions.. The project has received a $1 billion commitment in federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The FutureGen Alliance is a non-profit membership organisation created to develop and demonstrate near-zero emissions coal technology.
Read FutureGen Alliance's press release here.
