With city, state, and federal officials, a June 11, 2024 ribbon-cutting was held for the near completion of construction of the project. This was led by key project
stakeholders, including Kevin OBrien, director of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) and the Net-Zero Center of Excellence at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI); Bob Flider, senior
director of community and government relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; PRI Executive Director Praveen Kumar; Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher; Ronald Munson, point source carbon
capture technology manager, NETL, U.S. Department of Energy; Doug Brown, chief utility engineer of City Water, Light and Power (CWLP); Aaron Gurnsey, president of the Central Illinois Building and
Construction Trades Council and business agent of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 137; and representatives from project partner companies Linde and BASF.
On June 11, 2024, the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute (PRI) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) marked a significant milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the upcoming testing and operations of the large-scale 10 megawatt (MWe) pilot testing of the Linde-BASF advanced post-combustion CO2 capture technology at City Water, Light and Power’s (CWLP’s) Dallman 4 coal-fired power plant in Springfield.
Under the pilot project, a slipstream is being pulled from Dallman Unit 4 unit and used to evaluate the performance of a new capture technology developed by Linde / BASF. The pilot will evaluate a new large scale capture system for its performance and economics. The pilot system will process approximately 5 percent of the unit’s flue gas, from which it will demonstrate the ability to capture over 90 percent of the slipstream’s CO2 emissions (equivalent to 200 tonnes of CO2 per day).
“As someone who has researched carbon capture for over twenty years, it is gratifying to see carbon capture achieve this milestone. It is especially exciting to see how state and local support has enabled the construction of a facility that is globally recognized. It demonstrates Illinois’ leadership in carbon capture,” said Kevin OBrien, director of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) and the Net-Zero Center of Excellence at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI).
The $85 million project, funded by DOE, Linde/BASF and the State of Illinois, is a groundbreaking initiative to position Illinois as a leader in carbon capture research and development. The project, which began in 2018, has successfully transitioned from engineering design to construction. The construction phase of the project is due to be completed in November 2024. Thereafter, the project will achieve an operational and testing phase.
“This phase is the last step in the development process to de-risk technologies before they go to commercial operation or commercial demonstration,” said Ronald Munson, point source carbon capture technology manager, NETL, DOE. “To see the progression of the technology and to see the application of the approach the Department of Energy has adopted is really gratifying.”
The Phase III pilot, which retrofits Dallman 4, is the largest of its kind globally, promising substantial economic and environmental benefits.
“It is essential we have solutions to meet environmental goals through carbon capture to power our nation's infrastructure, power our homes and businesses, and support the operations of our manufacturers,” said City Water, Light and Power Chief Utility Engineer Doug Brown. “Just as power plants require sustainable solutions, so will manufacturers need to rely on low-carbon processes to meet these goals.”
PRI projects that the construction and operation of the Dallman Unit 4 carbon capture facility will have a baseline regional economic impact on construction and jobs of at least $47.1 million, and it will generate tax revenue of more than $5.6 million.
Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher, alongside State Senator Doris Turner, State Representative Mike Coffey, State Representative Sue Scherer, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, acknowledged the collaboration and support to bring the project forward along with local jobs benefits.
“By providing Dallman 4 as host site, we are bringing a number of union jobs to our community for the construction and operation of the plant along with large opportunities for the future,” said City of Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher. “I’m thrilled that with our PRI partnership, our city and this workforce are at the forefront in such a hallmark project to help find the solutions needed to safeguard our environment for future generations.”
The features and capability of this system draws international attention to the city of Springfield. Already many international researchers in carbon capture have toured the site. The facility will enable the state of Illinois to continue to be a leader in the research, development, and deployment of carbon capture. This technology provides a means to not only reduce CO2 emissions from the power generation sector, but also industrial sectors. The project marks a significant step in showcasing the economic viability of carbon capture, the impact of stimulating workforce development in the trades, and a means to educate and train workforces.
Project History
In 2021, the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announced it was selecting the University of Illinois’ Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) at Prairie Research Institute (PRI) to conduct large-scale pilot testing of a carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology at CWLP’s) Dallman Unit 4. DOE has allocated $58 million for this project, which will build a 10 megawatt (MWe) Linde-BASF advanced post-combustion CO2 capture system to process the Dallman Unit 4 flue gas. The State of Illinois has committed $20 million, and Linde-BASF has committed $7 million bringing the total cost to $85 million.
PRI’s project, “Large Pilot Testing of Linde-BASF Advanced Post-Combustion CO2 Capture Technology at a Coal-Fired Power Plant,” made it through the rigorous DOE down-selection process and was selected for Phase III (construction/operation). A second project for carbon capture membrane testing was awarded to a project underway by Membrane Technology and Research Inc. in Newark, California. The Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will manage the selected projects.
DOE cited the successful construction and operation of the Dallman Unit 4 test plant as a means to demonstrate economic carbon capture technology and help enable commercialization of the technology.
Other ISTC research projects are underway with CWLP in addition to the carbon capture testing at Dallman Unit 4, including utilizing CO2 as feedstock for algae; scrubber wastewater treatment technology; beneficial reuse of coal fly ash in plastics; and advancing the design of a hybrid power plant and energy storage system.
With this award for carbon capture testing at Dallman Unit 4, ISTC will move the project to the next step, “Phase III,” which is the finalized design and construction phase. Phase III, slated to begin in June 2021, includes finalizing a detailed engineering plan, acquiring equipment and modules needed for the new system. Building the 10 MWe system is slated to begin June 2022. The testing phase is anticipated to take place beginning in March 2024 with the testing to occur from March 2024 thru May 2026 for project completion.
In May 2023, DOE selected ISTC at PRI for two more projects. The first, a project to conduct an integrated capture, transport, and geological storage study of CO2 emissions at Dallman Unit 4. DOE is allocating $4.7 million for this front-end engineering design (FEED) study, which will explore the feasibility of building a 200-megawatt (MW) Linde-BASF advanced post-combustion CO2 capture system to process the Dallman Unit 4 flue gas and transferring the captured CO2 to be geologically stored in the Illinois Storage Corridor. The project design is estimated to capture two million tons of CO2 per year.
This FEED study will leverage the existing DOE-funded 10 MWe large pilot at Dallman Unit 4. DOE cited the successful construction and operation of the Dallman Unit 4 pilot plant to demonstrate economic carbon capture technology and help enable commercialization of the technology.
For the second project, DOE announced an award of $17,736,972 million to ISTC at PRI under its CO2 Transport and Storage investments to complete site characterization efforts for the Cambrian Mt. Simon Sandstone/Eau Claire Formation storage complex, for storage of CO2 from the Dallman Power Generation Plant and about 50 million metric tons of total CO2 storage capacity.
Other ISTC research projects are underway with CWLP in addition to the carbon capture testing and studies associated with Dallman Unit 4, include using CO2 as feedstock for algae; scrubber wastewater treatment technology; beneficial reuse of coal fly ash in plastics; and advancing the design of a hybrid power plant and energy storage system.
Learn more about ISTC's carbon capture projects: https://www.istc.illinois.edu/research/energy/carbon_capture/large_pilot-scale_projects/
Read the DOE Large-Scale CO2 Capture Pilot Projects announcement: https://netl.doe.gov/node/10683
Read the DOE FEED funding announcement: https://www.energy.gov/oced/carbon-capture-demonstration-projects-program-front-end-engineering-design-feed-studies
Read the DOE CO2 Transport and Storage announcement: https://netl.doe.gov/node/12542