The Clean Coal Technology (CCT)
Program is a unique partnership between
the federal government and
industry that has as its primary goal
the successful introduction of new
clean coal utilization technologies into
the energy marketplace. With its roots
in the acid rain debate of the 1980s,
the program is on the verge of meeting
its early objective of broadening the
range of technological solutions available
to eliminate acid rain concerns
associated with coal use. Moreover,
the program has evolved and has been
expanded to address the need for new,
high-efficiency power-generating technologies
that will allow coal to continue
to be a fuel option well into the
21st century.
Begun in 1985 and expanded in
1987 consistent with the recommendation
of the U.S. and Canadian Special
Envoys on Acid Rain, the program has
been implemented through a series
of five nationwide competitive solicitations.
Each solicitation has been
associated with specific government
funding and program objectives. After
five solicitations, the CCT Program
comprises a total of 40 projects
located in 18 states with a capital
investment value of nearly $6 billion.
DOE’s share of the total project costs
is about $2 billion, or approximately 34
percent of the total. The projects’ industrial
participants (i.e., the non-DOE
participants) are providing the
remainder—nearly $4 billion.
Clean coal technologies being demonstrated
under the CCT Program are
establishing a technology base that
will enable the nation to meet more
stringent energy and environmental
goals. Most of the demonstrations are
being conducted at commercial scale,
in actual user environments, and
under circumstances typical of commercial
operations. These features
allow the potential of the technologies
to be evaluated in their intended commercial
applications. Each application
addresses one of the following four
market sectors:
• Advanced electric power
generation
• Environmental control devices
• Coal processing for clean fuels
• Industrial applications
Given its programmatic success,
the CCT Program serves as a model
for other cooperative government/
industry programs aimed at introducing
new technologies into the
commercial marketplace.