India and US sign deal on green energy project

New Delhi: India signed a deal on Monday to take part in a US effort to build what officials are touting as a largely pollution-free power plant that turns coal into gas to produce electricity, a top US energy official said.

India is the first country to sign on to the United States' FutureGen Project, which aims to build the clean power plant by 2012, said Jeff Jarrett, an assistant US secretary of energy.

Under the deal, India will aid and share in the research and have access to the plant once it is built.

Both India and the United States have substantial coal reserves. But coal plants are considered to be among the dirtiest energy producers.

India was offered the chance to join the project last month when US President George W. Bush visited the South Asian nation. More than 20 other countries have been offered the chance to join the project but have yet to sign on.

What is FutureGen?

- FutureGen is a US Government project to build a zero-emissions coal-fired power plant that produces hydrogen and electricity while using Carbon Capture and Storage.

- Operated as a research facility, it will be a 275-megawatt power to be built at a still undetermined location in the United States by 2012.

- The cost will be shared $620 million by the US Department of Energy and $250 million by a large consortium of coal mining and power industry companies.

-The project will seek to sequester carbon dioxide emissions. The electricity produced can also be used to fuel pollution-free vehicles.

Source: www.wikipedia.org