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Indianapolis- The Indiana Department of Revenue will decide on changes to the tax credit for the southwestern Indiana plant, which will be worth up to $120 million. The tax credit for the Rockport synthetic natural gas plant was initally developed to help create jobs.
Washington D.C.- The National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative (NEORI), a coalition of energy companies and environmental groups, released a 36-page report this week that calls for a production tax credit for capturing and transporting carbon dioxide. That would encourage makers of ethanol, natural gas and electricity to tap the carbon dioxide produced in their industrial processes and send it through pipelines to oil wells for enhanced oil recovery.
USA- Domestically, "clean coal" projects are getting knocked around. New technologies will help create jobs and stop climate change, but many wonder if the projects can ever make it to the finish line.
Washington D.C.- Despite differences in energy between the U.S, and China, Vice-President Xi Jinping's visit to DC highlights the necessity for China and the U.S. to cooperate in carbon capture and sequestration technology.
Illinois- The Illinois EPA's draft air permit for the proposed Taylorville Energy Center does not include any kind of emission limits for carbon dioxide. The plant's developer plans to use carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies to capture up to 65% of the project's carbon dioxide emissions, but says that setting strict carbon dioxide emission limits for the plant would ensure its failure.
Texas- DOE announced Wednesday that CPS Energy, a San Antonio based utility, has signed an agreement with the Texas Clean Energy Project (TCEP) to purchase 200MW of power from the plant. The polygen plant will capture 90% of its carbon dioxide emissions and is funded partially by the DOE and Texas state incentives, though financing for the project is still incomplete. The project is expected to be operational by 2015.
Australia- A two-part Global CCSI interview with John Thompson on jumpstarting CCS in the US through collaboration with China and looking to Canada as an example in establishing a CCS nucleus.
China- Quarterly Updates of China Related Energy Issues in 2011:
The reality of China’s much anticipated energy-specific 12th FYP targets
China’s feed-in tariff for solar power
Illinois- The draft Illinois EPA air permit for the proposed Taylorville Energy Center contains NO provisions to require the plant to actually capture carbon dioxide.The developer of the project claims that limits at this early stage of the technology would interfere with gaining project financing and would jeopardize plant operations. This permit omission is striking. The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) filed comments (located here) on TEC’s air permit on Jan 3, 2012 that identified significant errors and problems. While CATF supports the TEC project because it will pioneer CCS technology, the permit as drafted sets a terrible precedent that harms CCS deployment nationwide