Green Rules Could Shutter Coal Plants

New clean air rules could force up to 500 U.S. coal plants to shut spurring billions of dollars in construction of cleaner plants to replace them, according to a study.

Pollution laws including the Clean Air Interstate Rule that caps emissions of smog components sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (NOX and SOX) could shut the plants in 25 states, according to the study by Colorado-based E3 Consultants, which advises energy companies.

The study, which was funded by E3, said that capital and construction costs to build cleaner new plants could reach well over $50 billion over the next five or 10 years.

Jim Short, one of the report's authors, said states most hit would be Texas and most of the states east of the Mississippi.

For more on E3, click here.

Technorati tags: Electricity, Energy, Politics, Coal, Environment, Clean Air Interstate Rule, Technology

Comments

Anonymous said…

HA!

Ban new construction of coal, gas and oil plants in the United States and let nuclear power and renewables fight for market share.

The fossil plants of today are pretty old (especially coal and no one can affor dgas anymore) and willl decomission themselves after max 40 years as their lifetimes end.

No more global warming, thank you very much.

February 3, 2006 at 5:44 PM

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