The government of Joe Biden announced a plan on Thursday to reduce CO2 emissions from coal and gas power plants starting in 2030, highly anticipated moves as part of America’s climate commitments.
The new rules include the obligation for certain coal-fired power plants to capture the majority of their carbon dioxide emissions. CO2instead of releasing them into the atmosphere.
If they come into force, they will be the first restrictions on those emissions imposed by the Environmental protection agency (EPA) to existing plants.
Electricity generation accounts for about a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the second largest sector after transportation.
“Across our nation, Americans are seeing and feeling the devastating effects of climate change,” the head of the EPA said Thursday. Michael Reganwhen announcing the measures, which will likely be challenged in court, as was the case under the presidency of Barack Obama.
I am proud to announce @EPA is proposing new technology standards for fossil fuel power plants to cut climate pollution and protect people’s health.
under @POTUS‘s leadership, we are moving aggressively to combat the climate crisis and we’re not stopping now. pic.twitter.com/Oqmm2PJzot
—Michael Regan, US EPA (@EPAMichaelRegan)
May 11, 2023
The new regulation has the potential to prevent the emission of more than 600 million tons of carbon by 2042, the equivalent of the emissions of all US vehicles in six months, according to the EPAwhich assured that they would have an “insignificant” impact on electricity prices.
The agency relies above all on CO2 capture and storage techniques, which are still not very widespread and expensive. The government is betting on its development after achieving the adoption of a law last year, the IRA, which includes greater tax benefits for power plants that use these techniques.
According to the new regulations, coal-fired power plants that plan to continue beyond 2040 must install technologies that allow 90% of the CO2 emitted from 2030 to be captured.
On the other hand, there are no restrictions placed on coal-fired power plants decommissioned by 2032, or even by 2035 for those operating at less than 20% capacity.
“Action Series”
In the case of gas-fired power plants, the largest will have to capture 90% of their CO2 by 2035, or use 30% low-carbon hydrogen by 2032 and 96% by 2038.
Regan assured that these proposals are “100% in line” with Biden’s commitments, who promised carbon-neutral electricity production starting in 2035. They are “part of a series of actions,” he said.
In 2015, Obama had already announced a plan to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants, which was blocked before taking effect.
In ruling on the case, the Supreme Court limited the EPA’s ability to act last year. According to its decision, general rules, which have the effect of forcing a transition from coal to other energy sources, exceed the agency’s authority.
The EPA has tried to avoid this pitfall by proposing rules tailored to the type of power plant, its level of use, or even its closing date.
Regan assured that the measures taken on Thursday are within the limits of the EPA to proceed under the “Clear Air Act”, the main federal air quality law in the United States.
Before being finalized, the new regulations will be subject to a period of public debate.
Techniques still confidential
These measures “show that the era of unlimited pollution from power plants is over,” Dan Lashof of the NGO WRI told AFP. It is “a tipping point,” said Julie McNamara of the UCS group of scientists.
Both, however, regretted that the proposal did not go further when it came to gas-fired power plants.
Other environmental groups were also highly critical of carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques.
It is a “distraction”, “unproven” technologies and an “expensive scam”, said members of the Climate Justice Alliance, a non-governmental collective of more than 70 organizations that advocate for environmental sustainability.
Currently, there are only about 35 capture sites and CO2 storage worldwide for industrial processes or electricity generation, according to the International Energy Agency.
The National Mining Association, an industry representative, said that while carbon capture is key to the future, requiring its use “before this technology is fully technically and economically proven is nothing more than show business.”
A significant number of coal-fired power plants have already closed in the last decade.
In 2022, about 60% of electricity production in the United States came from gas (40%) or coal (20%) power plants, according to the US Energy Information Agency. The rest came from renewable energy (21.5%) and nuclear (18%).
