Recent trends put Minnesota in good shape to comply with tighter CO2 rules
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepares its final rules to drive down greenhouse-gas emissions from electric power generation, an analysis published today suggests that Minnesota’s utilities may be able to meet the requirements with relative ease.
The report, prepared by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, lists the shift in boiler fuel from coal to natural gas as perhaps the state’s largest single advantage:
Coal is the largest generation source, but natural gas is becoming more important in MN’s power mix, providing 14% of electricity and accounting for 33% installed capacity in 2012, while coal is trending downwards. Coal-fired electricity generation fell from 59% in 2008 to 46% in 2013, and 396MW of coal plants have announced plans to retire between 2015 and 2017.
