DOE to award $38M for projects to improve coal-fired power plants

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will be awarding $38 million in federal funding for technologies that improve the performance of the nation’s existing coal-fired power plant fleet.

The funding opportunity, called Improving Efficiency, Reliability, and Flexibility of Existing Coal-Based Power Plants, is for projects to modernize the grid and improve the existing coal-fired power plant fleet.

“Utilizing all of our energy resources to ensure the reliability and resiliency of our nation’s electricity is a top priority for the Department of Energy,” Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes said. “Modernizing and advancing the existing coal fleet is imperative to this mission. By improving the efficiency of our baseload generation, we are strengthening the reliability of all our electricity generation.”

Coal provides around 30 percent of U.S. electricity.

“Along with the Department’s Coal FIRST initiative, modernizing the existing coal-fired fleet is critical to our effort to allow existing coal plants to load, follow and operate more efficiently. This research and development will lower emissions and foster new technologies beneficial to our electric grid,” Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg said.

The awarded projects should support DOE’s Transformative Power Generation Program and Crosscutting Research Program. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will manage these projects.