TXU Claims Plans For 11 More Coal-Fired Plants "Consistent" With Corporate Calls For GHG Caps - DMN

[hatrack]

TXU Corp., the largest Texas electricity producer, said its plan to build $10 billion of coal-fueled power generation in the state appears "consistent with" a business group's proposal to curb global warming by capping carbon-dioxide emissions.

"Neither the environment nor the public wins if we fail to replace the nation's aging power plants with new, more efficient and cleaner power-generation technologies," Mike McCall, chief executive officer at Dallas-based TXU's electricity-generation unit, said Monday in a statement.

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The companies, which also include Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Duke Energy Corp. and California's PG&E Corp., are calling for a market in which carbon emitters, such as power plants that don't meet reduction targets, buy credits from those who reduce output of the gases.

TXU's proposal for 11 new coal-fired units in Texas has faced opposition from big-city mayors and environmental groups while also spawning litigation. Chief Executive C. John Wilder says he wants to bring cheap, reliable power to the state. McCall said in an interview this month that TXU's expansion plan will improve reliability of power service in Texas by adding needed generation capacity and will reduce the state's dependence on natural gas, which is more expensive than coal. About 70 percent of power generation in Texas is fueled by gas, which is cleaner-burning than coal.

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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/012307dnbustxu.453086a.html

[OneBlueSky]

1. how long are we going to wait before we stop corporations from destroying our planet? . . .

how long before it's too late? . . .

[Porcupine]

2. Maybe Texans could conserve a little? Some hints.

Replace suburban ac units with ground loop geothermal units would save 60% of power usage for every installed household and reduce GHG emissions in the winter. It would lower bills for every house installed.

Urban areas could have area chiller plants installed or thermal utility zones to pull heat from large buildings and use a delayed thermal dump system. Dumping heat at night saves a bundle over trying to dump heat into 105 degree air.

It's awfully flat in Texas and I'm sure it's sometimes windy. Build windmills. Put some solar panels on WalMarts roof. A few more shading the parking lot would reduce cooling loads on cars and save gas also. Lots of parking lots in Texas.

Install a little insulation. Quit selling black roofing shingles in Texas.

Tax the crap out of incandescant light bulbs and halogen light bulbs; subsidize replacement fixtures that are flourescent or LEDs. Shut off streetlights in the suburbs where they just annoy people anyway.

I bet there are a lot of Texans that could use new refrigerators. Replacing those would be cheaper than building the power station to feed them.

I believe there are a few cows in Texas. A local dairy operation uses the manure and wash water to make methane which powers a generator and supplies hot water. Excess power is sold to the utility. This also reduces the waste that the farmer has to transport for treatment or fertilizer.

Best of all, if Texas used conservation strategies instead of building they would have 10 new jobs for every job the power plant project would bring in.