(Washington) Joe Biden’s government announced Thursday that it would impose very strict limits on CO emissions from 20322 coal-fired power plants planning to remain in operation for a long time, a measure which should help the United States meet its climate commitments.
This new regulation, which also concerns gas power plants to be built in the future, is based on carbon capture technologies, which are still very little widespread, but on which the Biden government is betting big.
These are “huge” announcements which “move us forward in our fight against the climate crisis”, declared Ali Zaidi, the climate advisor to the Democratic president, candidate for his re-election. “The energy sector now has more tools to reduce its pollution than ever before. »
Electricity production represents around a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the second largest emitting sector after transport.
Under new rules, coal plants that plan to continue operating after 2039 will have to capture 90% of their CO2 issued, from 2032.
The largest new gas power plants will also have to be equipped to capture 90% of their CO2 by 2032.
The regulations were proposed a year ago by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and after a mandatory public consultation, they are now finalized – but not without several changes.
The final regulation no longer covers existing gas power plants, which must now be subject to a separate standard. And the date on which coal-fired power plants will have to capture their CO2 was pushed back from 2030 to 2032.
“History”
Until now, there was no federal standard limiting emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. However, these represent the largest source of emissions from the energy sector, according to the EPA.
Regulations must prevent the emission of nearly 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2047, the equivalent of the annual emissions of 328 million cars, the EPA argued.
This standard is one of “the most effective tools ever developed to reduce climate-damaging emissions from the energy sector,” responded the Sierra Club organization.
“It’s historic”, Joe Biden’s government “will have done more than any other administration” for the climate, Margie Alt, director of the “Climate action campaign”, a coalition bringing together around ten environmental organizations.
No technology is imposed on companies to achieve emissions reduction targets, but the EPA suggests that the best option will be CO capture and storage2 (CCS), which allows it to be trapped instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
However, there are currently only around 40 CO capture sites in the world.2 for industrial processes or electricity generation, according to the International Energy Agency.
For the organization 350.org, these technologies have not yet proven themselves, and it is rather the number of these plants that should be reduced.
“Viable technology”
“Representatives from several electric companies have indicated that CCS is a viable technology for the energy sector today,” assured EPA boss Michael Regan.
He also highlighted that Joe Biden’s major climate law adopted in 2022 (IRA), included tax credits for this technology in order to support its development.
The EPA also announced Thursday three other regulations concerning coal-fired power plants, to reduce their emissions of toxic metals (mercury, nickel, etc.), the pollution of their discharges into water and coal ash.
A significant number of coal-fired power plants have closed over the past decade in the United States. At the same time, electricity production via solar and wind energy, but also that of gas power plants, has increased.
In 2023, about 60% of U.S. electricity generation came from gas (43%) or coal (16%) plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, followed by renewable energy ( 21%), and nuclear (18%).