The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has denied a permit request by Aurora, Ill.-based Power Holdings to construct a power plant in Jefferson County that would convert coal to synthetic gas, citing insufficient details about emissions and air-quality analysis relating to the completed facility, as well as failure to justify the project's delay.
The decision marks the latest setback for the $2-billion project, which Power Holdings first proposed in 2006. Although Illinois lawmakers in 2011 approved a measure compelling state utilities to purchase synthetic natural gas produced by the plant, Power Holdings in May cited difficulties attracting investors to the project.