The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new controls to limit the emissions released in the generation of electricity by power plants. The new proposed regulations create a cap on CO2 emissions, the regulations would only apply to new plants that begin construction one year after the new proposal is implemented.
If approved, the new regulations will apply to all fossil fuel generators with a capacity larger than 25 megawatts, and will impose a limit of 0.454 tonnes of CO2 emitted for each megawatt hour of electricity generated. The EPA calculate that traditional coal-fired plants emit one tonne of CO2 per megawatt hour, meaning that the new regulations effectively inhibit the construction of coal powered plants without the use of carbon capture technology.
An EPA source confirmed that there are no plans to extend the proposal to existing plants.
From the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development 02 April 2012
