The Coal Research Initiative allocation of $447 will be an increase of 40% over last year’s request.

The Clean Coal Power Initiative, a 10 year $2 billion program, was allocated $287 million.

Last year the first solicitation for projects in the Clean Coal Power Initiative attracted three dozen proposals for projects totaling more than $5 billion. In early 2003 first winners of the competition were announced - eight projects with a total value of more than $1.3 billion, more than one billion dollars of which will be provided by the private sector.

The FutureGen component of the Clean Coal Power Initiative will be supported by a coal R&D effort at a proposed level of $46.5 million. It will focus on all the key technologies such as carbon sequestration, membrane technologies for oxygen and hydrogen separation, advanced turbines, fuel cells, coal to hydrogen conversion, and gasification technology.

Carbon management has become an increasingly important element of Fossil Energy's coal research program. Carbon sequestration - the capture and permanent storage of carbon dioxide - has emerged as one of research program's highest priorities, as reflected in the proposed budget of $49 million in FY 2005.

Within the Fossil Energy program, Fossil Energy has allocated $16 million for research into new methods for making hydrogen from coal.

Further research into coal technology efforts, such as materials, coal utilization science, analytical efforts, and support for coal research at universities, has been allocated $30.5 million.

Fossil Energy's '05 budget request also proposes $23 million for continued development of fuel cells with an emphasis on lower-cost technologies that can contribute to Clear Skies emission reductions.

A snapshot of the Department of Energy 2005 budget request

Clean Coal Power Initiative: $287 million

Central Systems R&D: $64.5 million

Sequestration R&D: $49 million

Clean Fuels R&D: $16 million

Advanced Research: $30.5 million

Fuel Cells: $23 million

Novel Distributed Generation Concepts: $0

U.S./China Energy & Environmental Centre: $0

Fossil Energy R&D: $92 million

Clean Coal Technology: $14 million