POWER PLANT DEVELOPER, ENVIRONMENT STEWARDS IN ACCORD

The Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition (TCACC) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) won an agreement from NRG Texas limiting the harm that will be done by emissions from a proposed coal-fired power plant.

The agreement is especially important because it includes carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas emission (GhG) most widely recognized as a factor in global climate change. The Bush administration EPA has purposefully protected emitters by failing to set standards on carbon dioxide.

TCACC is the coalition that forced TXU Corp to back away from plans to build 11 coal plants in Texas in 2007.

Except for one stipulation that goes farther than the landmark TXU agreement, the coal plant changes required of NRG by the new agreement are similar. TXU was required to offset the impact of FUTURE coal facilities. NRG must offset emissions at the Limestone Station site this agreement allows to go forward on.

The NRG coal plant still faces opposition from other environmental and consumer groups.

click to enlarge

NRG agrees to lower its pollution
Eric Torbenson, August 4, 2008 (Dallas Morning News)
and
Green groups drop opposition to Texas coal plant
Timothy Gardner, (w/Jim Marshall), August 4, 2008 (Reuters)

WHO
NRG Energy Inc. (Thad Hill, president, NRG Texas); Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition (TCACC) (Linda Koop, chair); Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) (Jim Martson, Texas climate director)

WHAT
Agreement: TCACC and EDF will not oppose the building of a new NRG coal plant (Limestone 3) and NRG will take steps to reduce, capture and/or offset the plant’s emissions.

The NRG Limestone Station coal plant and... (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- The agreement was reached August 4.
- NRG agreed to offset or capture and store GhGs at the Limestone 3 plant until the U.S. has a federal climate change program.

WHERE
- The coal-fired power plant will be built at Jewett, Texas (near Houston), the 3rd plant at the Limestone Station facility.
- NRG is based in Houston.

...the better choice. (click to enlarge)

WHY
- Through the use of offsets and scrubbing, nitrous oxide (N2O), sulfur dioxide (SO2), mercury (Hg) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will be prevented from increasing despite the new Limestone 3 coal-fired power plant. Total emissions will eventually be brought below the 2006 levels of the other two Limestone plants.
- The Limestone 3 facility will be built with advanced cooling technology to cut water consumption by 50%.
- NRG will offset 50% of the Limestone 3 GhGs "in a manner that is verifiable…"
- NRG Texas will either co-fund a utility scale solar power plant (if economically feasible) or contribute to a trust fund for development of energy efficiency in Texas.
- NRG agreed to build any future Texas coal plants with gasification or ultra-supercritical technology and offset at least 50% of GhGs from all new plants.
- The current Limestone power plants generate 1,700+ megawatts.

QUOTES
- Linda Koop, chair, TCACC & member, Dallas City Council: "This agreement presents an excellent opportunity for emission reductions…The greenhouse gas reductions – 50 percent – are particularly significant…"
- Thad Hill, president, NRG Texas: "The Limestone expansion is part of our program to invest in Texas with a balanced portfolio of nuclear, gas, wind and coal…"
- Jim Marston, Texas climate director, EDF: "Offsets, such as the projects that NRG has committed to invest in, are a low-cost way to get the large reductions in greenhouse gases that are necessary to prevent catastrophic impacts of global warming, and NRG has established a precedent for other electricity companies to follow…"