US Department of Energy issues RFI for small-scale modular coal-fired power plants

• 6 years ago (2018-05-09)
• David Flin

Coal 296 North America 1021

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The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for input on the development of small-scale, modular coal-based power plants for the future. The DOE said that the objective of this RFI is to support its mission to lead research and technology development that promotes the advancement of coal-fired power plants.

This RFI seeks stakeholder input of technical and market considerations to inform research and development in support of the design, construction, and operation of a small-scale, modular coal-based pilot-scale plant. These plants are envisioned to be modular for lower cost, designed using advanced methods, small scale, of greater than 40 per cent efficiency, and able to load follow to meet the demands of an evolving electricity grid.

The comment deadline for the RFI is 8 June.

The Energy Department said that these smaller plants can be fired up more quickly than bigger plants, giving them a role on the energy grid that makes increasing use of intermittent wind and solar power.