THE FUTURE OF COAL?

What's interesting is that the best solution, wind energy and new transmission to serve it, doesn't even get mentioned.

Power companies split on future of coal
Steve James, June 5, 2007 (Reuters)

WHO
Thomas Farrell, CEO, Dominion Resources Inc.;John Bryson, CEO, Edison International;
is coal going to even be there? (click to enlarge)
WHAT
Farrell is told Reuters the foreseeable future of US power generation is coal. Bryson stressed getting away from coal and going to natural gas. Both discussed other options.

WHEN
- Summit was June 5.
- Edison’s contracts on Powder River Basin coal run through 2012.

WHERE
Reuters Global Energy Summit
- Dominion is based in Richmond, Virginia. Edison is based in Rosemead, California.
- Dominion is building a new coal plant in southwest Virgina.
- Edison has no plans for new coal-fired power plants but operates several in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana.
- Edison is looking at "clean coal” projects in Illinois, California and elsewhere.

WHY
- Over 50% of US electricity comes from coal-burning power plants and they produce a lot of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Edison is interested in carbon capture projects in the hope of finding a way to make use of the enormous (possibly 200 years’ worth) US coal reserves without creating the severe GHGs associated with coal-fired power plants.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: 12 U.S. coal plants are being built, the most in decades, w/now-uncertain plans for 150 more.
watch for politicians from these states and see who they serve (click to enlarge)
QUOTES
- Farrell: "I don't know how you can maintain even where we are today without using coal…Not taking into account growth ... if you want electricity, you're going to have to have coal…Yes there's going to be difficulty in building new coal plants…Is there new coal (burning infrastructure) going to be built? Yes, it will have to be."
- Bryson: "Coal raises a set of concerns. We are not looking at coal (for new plants)…" Bryson said.