CARBONDALE, ILL. (AP) -- Officials at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale are hoping to hear something soon from the state about their plans to replace its power plant.
Plans call for the 200-megawatt, $200 million site to turn coal into synthetic gas.
The university's president, Glenn Poshard, and others at SIU say officials with the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity soon are to announce whether it's feasible to build such a plant at SIU.
Poshard says the new power plant could cut the school's energy costs while using high-sulfur coal from nearby mines.
Construction is expected to take more than two years. Once running, the plant would employ 100 to 150 people.
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