WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The FutureGen Industrial Alliance today announced a site selection process to determine the host site for the world's first coal-fueled "zero emissions" power plant. A draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for public review will be issued in the latter part of February 2006, with a final RFP targeted for release in March 2006. Proposals for the host site will be due by May 2006. Based on an evaluation of the proposals received, the Alliance will develop a list of candidate sites by summer of 2006. Information about the process is provided on the FutureGen Alliance website at http://www.FutureGenAlliance.org, which was launched this week.

The host site will be selected through an open, competitive process. Candidate sites will be identified by applying a set of technical, environmental, regulatory and financial criteria developed by the Alliance, with input from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), independent technical experts and stakeholders. The criteria will include those typically considered when siting power plants, such as access to water, fuel delivery systems, and transmission lines, as well as requirements that are unique to the FutureGen project, such as the suitability of the site geology for permanent carbon dioxide storage.

These criteria will be explained in detail in the RFP.

Following the FutureGen Alliance's identification of a list of candidate sites, DOE will use the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process to determine which sites are acceptable from an environmental impact perspective. These sites will be identified by DOE in a public Record of Decision (ROD) by summer 2007. The FutureGen Alliance will choose the final project site early in the fall of 2007 from among those determined to be environmentally acceptable in the ROD. Construction would begin following the completion of the permitting process, with the plant operational by 2012.

The FutureGen plant will use cutting-edge technologies to generate electricity and hydrogen from coal while nearly eliminating emissions. It will also support testing and commercialization of technologies to capture and permanently store carbon dioxide. The FutureGen Alliance has an agreement with the DOE to site, develop, and operate the FutureGen plant.

Prospective site offerors, architecture and engineering firms, technology suppliers and other service providers are encouraged to monitor the FutureGen Alliance website for opportunities to participate. Inquiries from site offerors will be accepted only through the website.

The FutureGen Alliance member companies provide energy to tens of millions of U.S. and international residential, business and industrial customers. Member companies have global operations serving customers in Asia, Australia, Continental Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States, among other regions.

Members of the Alliance include: American Electric Power; BHP Billiton; the China Huaneng Group; CONSOL Energy Inc.; Foundation Coal; Kennecott Energy, a member of the Rio Tinto Group; Peabody Energy; and Southern Company.

MEDIA CONTACTS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

Fredrick D. Palmer

Senior Vice President -- Government Relations

Peabody Energy

(314) 342-7624

Pat Hemlepp

Director

Corporate Media Relations

American Electric Power

(614) 716-1620

Susan Bauer

Media Relations

Battelle

(509) 375-3688

Patrick Cassidy

Director of Public Affairs

BHP Billiton

(713) 961-8517

Thomas Hoffman

Vice President

External Affairs

CONSOL Energy Inc.

(412) 831-4060

Ellen Ewart

Vice President

Investor and Media Relations

Foundation Coal Holdings, Inc.

(410) 689-7632

Jun Xiao

Acting General Manager

International Cooperation Department

China Huaneng Group

86-10-62291528

Vic Svec

Vice President

Public and Investor Relations

Peabody Energy

(314) 342-7768

Dallas Scholes

Manager

Government Affairs & Communications

Kennecott Energy Company

(307) 687-6000

Tiffany Gilstrap

Media Relations

Southern Company

(404) 506-5333

(866) 506-5333 toll free SOURCE The FutureGen Industrial Alliance