AN ANALYSIS OF THE INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES TO COMMERCIALIZATION AND DEPLOYMENT OF IGCC TECHNOLOGY IN THE U.S. ELECTRIC INDUSTRY: Recommended Policy, Regulatory, Executive and Legislative Initiatives

Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the help and assistance of a number of people in the development and completion this report. These people include There are no doubt others that we should thank because we received comments from a great range of people as well as valuable input and to the many individuals who assisted by responding to our survey to prioritize challenges. Thank you to those people as well. Laboratory, nor any person acting on behalf of either: A. Makes and warranty or representation, expresses or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information contained in this report, or that the use of any information, apparatus, method, or process disclosed in this report may not infringe privately–owned rights; or B. Assumes any liabilities with the report as to the use, or damages resulting from the use of, any information, apparatus, method, or process disclosed in this report. Reference herein as to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. DOE. These views and opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. DOE. Executive Summary This Report identifies and prioritizes the institutional (i.e., non-technical) challenges to the rapid commercialization and deployment of coal gasification technologies in the U.S. electric power sector and provides recommendations for overcoming them. It focuses on Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology, the most successful method of producing electric power utilizing coal gasification. The Report recommends a number of regulatory, legislative, executive and policy initiatives, at both the federal and state levels, for achieving those objectives. Readers who want to move directly to the recommendations may skip to Section 4. The first section of this Report provides a non-technical overview of coal gasification, particularly IGCC technology, and its applicability to the U.S. power industry. Increased utilization of coal gasification power plants offers affordable and high-efficiency electricity production from an abundant, readily available source of energy, with superior environmental performance compared to other coal-based technologies. Deployment of these plants can reduce America's growing dependence on natural gas-fueled electricity generation, thereby freeing up natural gas for essential uses such as industrial processes and residential heating. Further, in addition to electricity, gasification-based power plants can produce a wide range of products, including transportation fuels, chemicals, …