The US, a big user of coal-based power, is keen on sharing its clean environment technology with India, James L Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environment Quality, said here on Tuesday.

“We have a shared vision for a long-term global goal to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The US can offer advice and information on clean environment technologies,” Connaughton said during an interactive session organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce. A new clean energy technology fund would be created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nations like the US, the UK and Japan in three years. “The US will be contributing $2 billion, which is around 20% of the fund,” he said. “We are also looking for funds from other G8 nations.”

Around 55% of India’s total power consumption is based on coal. Last year, 500 million tonne of coal was used for power generation in India.

“US has allocated $1 billion per year for FutureGen, a US initiative to build a giant emission-free power plant,” Connaughton said. Indian companies like ONGC, NTPC Ltd and Coal India are participating in this project.

FutureGen is a 10-year venture that plans to build a zero-emission, coal-fired electric and hydrogen production plant. It aims to integrate advanced technologies in coal gasification, extracting hydrogen from coal, power generation, carbon dioxide containment, and geologic storage.