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A new power plant in Nakoso, Japan, might someday change everything for coal plants. Since the new
power plant fired up in September, the designer, Mitsubishi, is expecting to prove it's possible to burn coal
without polluting. This technology is known as integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC). Proving IGCC
works should motivate Mitsubishi's US partner, NRG Energy, to jump other hurdles to building new clean
plants.
The project promises to solve the problem of the ages for power plants: how to produce cheap, clean,
reliable electricity. No existing technology can do all three perfectly.
The problem is IGCC isn't there yet. It costs about 20 percent more than traditional plants. And even
though it's easier to collect the resulting carbon dioxide from an IGCC plant than a traditional plant, there's
no proven way to get rid of the greenhouse gas. One plan is to drill a shaft (通道) to pump the carbon dioxide
underground, into saltwater formations. But there's no guarantee it will remain underground forever.
NRG administrators think solving the IGCC riddles is worth the trouble because they expect the US will
soon limit the amount of carbon dioxide that power generators may give out.
"With the additional cost of IGCC, to just voluntarily build something that's 20 percent more expensive,
that's commercial suicide," NRG chief administrator, David Crane said.
NRG administrators expect the cost to decline after six or seven plants are built. But other industry experts
think it will take about a dozen plants for the price to be competitive with traditional coal plants.
Takaya Watanabe, a vice general manager of Mitsubishi, admits that the cost challenges are difficult. "It's
good for a company to say we want to be green, but unless someone is willing to pay, it's a dream. It won't
keep our family eating rice," he said.
1. What is expected of the new technology?
A. To make electricity without polluting the air.
B. To produce energy without burning coal.
C. To keep the use of electricity cheaper.
D. To pump carbon dioxide more easily.
2. What's the biggest problem the companies are faced with?
A. How to pump greenhouse gases.
B. How to deal with the high cost.
C. How to get along with other partners.
D. How to improve the new technology.
3. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. New technologies are unacceptable to people.
B. It's unlikely to build more new power plants.
C. The companies are run on a tight budget.
D. Going green is easier said than done.
