Power Plants Cut CO2 Emissions 7% in Three Years (SOx and NOx down 70% from 1990)

[jpak]

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/05/17/power-plants-cut-co2-emissions-7-in-three-years/

US power plants cut emissions from nitrous oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and CO2 in 2011 even as overall electricity generation increased, according to data from the Energy Information Administration and the EPA.

In 2011, power plant NOx and SO2 emissions were 70 percent and 72 percent lower, respectively, than they were in 1990 when Congress passed major amendments to the Clean Air Act, the report says. Additionally, since 1990, power plant CO2 emissions have increased by 20 percent, although CO2 emissions declined 7 percent from 2008 through 2011.

The emissions reductions are largely due to increased use of natural gas and growing reliance on renewable energy, the report says.

The Benchmarking Air Emissions report is the ninth in a series that analyzes the latest emissions data from the 100 largest power producers in the US. In 2011, the top 100 power producers together accounted for 86 percent of the electricity produced, the report says. These companies emitted approximately 4.1 million tons of SO2, 1.7 million tons of NOx, 25 tons of mercury, and 2.1 billion tons of CO2 in aggregate.

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