In 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) issued a request for proposal (RFP) as part of the Coal FIRST initiative—a research and development (R&D) program that aims to advance first-of-their kind coal generation technologies able to adapt to the evolving electrical grid.
After submitting two concepts in the first phase of the RFP, the DOE and NETL awarded Barr a pre-front-end engineering design (PreFEED) study for its hybrid gas/coal concept (HGCC) power-plant design in 2019. We teamed with Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction; Envergex, LLC; Microbeam Technologies, Inc.; the University of North Dakota – Institute of Energy Studies; and MLJ Consulting to develop the future plant concept that combines a state-of-the-art, ultra-supercritical (USC) 250-MW coal-fired power plant with an 80-MW natural gas-fired turbine and energy storage.
Barr delivered the study findings in a preliminary engineering report, which illustrated the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed future system, the business case, and an approach for advancement through identified technology gaps. In the next phase, concept designs will complete FEED studies prior to the construction of a pilot-scale power plant.