This week, I investigated the proposed Taylorville Energy Center. I wish I’d had a chance to speak to Tenaska, the company behind the project. Unfortunately, they did not return calls in time for deadline. I hope to do a follow-up story to learn more about the project from all perspectives.

Taylorville Energy Center, a proposed “clean coal” power plant, is backed by supporters for its eco-friendliness and job creation potential, but some environmental and business groups say the project may cause more harm than good for Illinois.

Taylorville Energy Center, which could generate enough electricity to power about 600,000 homes, is currently under review by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Project backers have submitted their financial report to the ICC in hopes of receiving state subsidies. If the state approves the costs, every utility in Illinois will be required to purchase up to five percent of its power from Taylorville Energy Center.

According to studies by Tenaska, the international power development company managing the project, nearly 10 million labor hours would be needed to build the power plant, resulting in nearly 2,500 construction jobs and hundreds of permanent plant and mining jobs.

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