The nation's first new commercial coal-fueled plant capable of capturing carbon dioxide emissions is in the early proposal phase to develop a nearly 2,000 acre section of land in Sweetwater, Texas. Tenaska, an Omaha energy company, has filed an air permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) according to company officials, which is the first step in the process of gaining approval to begin construction on the $3 billion project.

Up to 90 percent of the CO2 would be captured, sold and transported through pipelines to the Permian Basin, where advanced oil recovery projects could utilize the stored gas to recover significant amounts of additional oil for the Texas market, a common practice in the Texas oil industry for more than 30 years. But how would a clean-coal power plant affect Texas electricity?

The 600 megawatt facility could potentially power 600,000 homes, though environmentalists have staunchly opposed building any additional coal-fueled power plants. The concern isn't necessarily focused just on the potential emissions from burning the fossil fuel, but also the environmental implications of storing and mining—including pollution of water, depletion of water supply and destruction of land to name a few. If approved, which will be in 2009 at the earliest and Tenaska won't conclude construction until 2014. Legislative and environmental battles may delay any development plans in the near future, pushing the probable time line even further away.

For more information, please see the Tenaska newsroom for updated press releases and information.