On August 15, Xcel Energy announced a ground-breaking proposal to deploy the nation's first coal power plant to reduce global warming pollution by capturing heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) before it is released into the atmosphere and storing it underground. Traditional coal plants discharge more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than virtually any other source of energy. Xcel's project in Colorado will use advanced Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle coal technology (IGCC) that gasifies coal and then burns the gas to produce electricity. A major benefit of IGCC is that these plants can be designed to capture CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere. Xcel is planning to construct a 300-350 megawatt facility, enough to power up to 350,000 Colorado homes.
While some coal-fueled IGCC projects have been proposed across the country, Xcel's project will be the first to take advantage of IGCC's ability to limit CO2 emissions. Capturing and storing CO2 from coal plants is especially critical because of the number of coal plants being planned. In June 2006, the National Energy Technology Laboratory identified 153 pending new coal plant proposals across the nation.
"Xcel's proposal to develop an IGCC facility that captures and stores carbon dioxide is a giant step forward in how America produces electricity from coal while grappling with the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gases from the power sector," said John Nielsen, Energy Program Director at Western Resource Advocates. "Leadership like this is crucial to address the serious environmental and economic risks of global warming."
"This landmark project will be the first coal plant in America to reduce global warming pollution through the capture and underground storage of greenhouse gases," said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton. "Such bold industry leadership together with the adoption of nationwide limits on greenhouse gases will unleash American innovation in the fight against global warming."
Growth in coal-fired electricity generation is forecast to contribute to a dramatic rise in global warming pollution. The Energy Information Administration recently projected that annual CO2 emissions from power plants will increase by 1.1 billion tons (44%)
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