City Water, Light and Power’s Dallman 4 coal-fired power plant in Springfield will host the testing and operations of this new pilot plant. The tests and operations have been set up through a collaboration between the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

So far, the $80 million Phase III pilot project, has already received funding from the DOE, Linde/BASF, the state of Illinois and finally retrofits Dallman 4. This has made it the largest of its kind globally.

Furthermore, 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.

From this point, any PRI project which are connected to the construction and operation of the Dallman Unit 4 carbon capture facility, will receive a baseline regional economic impact on construction and jobs, which will amount to at least $47.1 million. In turn this will create a tax reverse of over $5.6 million.

Director of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) and the Net-Zero Center of Excellence at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), Kevin O'Brien, commented, “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.”

Point source carbon capture technology manager, NETL, DOE, Ronald Munson, added, “This phase is the last step in the development process to de-risk technologies before they go to commercial operation or commercial demonstration. To see the progression of the technology and to see the application of the approach the Department of Energy has adopted is really gratifying.”

City Water, Light and Power Chief Utility Engineer, Doug Brown, mentioned, “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. Just as power plants require sustainable solutions, so will manufacturers need to rely on low-carbon processes to meet these goals.”