Dive Brief:
- Future coal and nuclear plant retirements will bring down projected CO2 emissions for 2040 by 14%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
- Coal plant retirements bring down CO2 emissions forecasts by a full 19%, but the likely replacement of nuclear plants with natural gas plants means the overall reduction in CO2 may be slightly lower.
- About 98% of the electric sector's CO2 emissions came from coal and natural gas power plants in 2012, 74% and 24% of CO2 emissions respectively.
U.S Energy Information Administration
Dive Insight:
Natural gas may be industry's favored alternative to nuclear and coal power, but the EIA highlights that natural gas is not an emissions-free power source, despite having lower CO2 emissions than coal.
The EIA predicts that state policies in favor of renewable energy and increasing competitiveness in the renewables market would also lead to lower-than-expected CO2 emissions by 2040, reflecting a wider shift towards boosting renewable capacity across the U.S.
EIA
