Posted by Melissa Burlaga

Excelsior Energy announced that the U.S. Department of Energy and the Minnesota Department of Commerce have released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Mesaba Energy Project, marking another significant milestone for the company’s integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) project.

The final EIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of locating two 600 MW IGCC (coal gasification) power plants at one of two sites currently under consideration in northeastern Minnesota.

More than seven hundred comments were received concerning the Project’s draft EIS, which was completed during the fall of 2007; the final EIS addresses all of the comments filed and provides a comprehensive analysis of the Project’s potential environmental and socio-economic impacts and project benefits.

Excelsior co-CEO Tom Micheletti stated, “This is the culmination of a more than four-year rigorous process involving scientists, engineers, and environmental experts from both the private sector and our state and federal governments.

We at Excelsior Energy are deeply grateful for the work of these dedicated experts, and are pleased that the vision we have for the Mesaba Project has stood up to such thorough scrutiny and achieved this important milestone.

We are also grateful to all those public citizens who participated in the EIS process and to Iron Range Resources for its continuous and steadfast support.”

Mesaba Energy Project will be first utility-scale, fuel-flexible IGCC plant in U.S.

Micheletti added, “There are two smaller operational IGCC plants in the country—one is the Wabash River plant in Terre Haute, Ind., and the other is the Polk Power Station located in Mulberry, Fla.

We are extremely excited that the Mesaba Energy Project is positioned to be the first utility scale, fuel-flexible IGCC plant in the country, and it will be ready to help Minnesota meet the substantial regional need for new base load power resources projected over the coming decade.”

“The Mesaba Project continues to be critical to our national and state goals of increasing energy efficiency, reducing sulfur, mercury, and particulate matter emissions and importantly, to the goal of economically removing carbon from coal for power generation.

Coal accounts for 60 percent of Minnesota’s current energy supply, and under current state law, the means to replace the aging fleet of conventional coal plants are extremely limited, making the Mesaba Project an even more important opportunity for Minnesota.” stated Bob Evans, Vice President of Environmental Affairs for Excelsior Energy.

“The Federal Department of Energy continues to recognize the critical role the Mesaba Project will play in advancing our nation’s energy and national security goals, as well as advancing our technological means to meeting limits on carbon dioxide emissions that would be imposed by climate change legislation,” said Micheletti.

The final EIS, which is available online at http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/Docket.html?Id=16573, is now available for public review.