Ameren Ending Partnership in FutureGen Project

A partner in the FutureGen clean-coal project in Illinois is withdrawing from the effort within weeks.

The FutureGen Alliance that has included St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. says the utility won't continue its cooperative agreement for the project past the end of this year. The coalition says it is negotiating a plan to buy for the project a portion of a power plant Ameren intends to soon close near the west-central Illinois village of Meredosia.

The alliance also is asking to be allowed to take over an agreement between Ameren and the Energy Department for development of the $1.65 billion project.

Ameren says it will still maintain the plant so it can be retrofitted as planned for the effort, which also includes storing carbon dioxide.