By Brian E. Clark
WisBusiness.com
The United States is the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide – which many scientists believe is a major cause of global warming – with 2. 8 billion tons of the pollutant coming each year from its 9,190 power plants, according to a new report from Carbon Monitoring For Action (CARMA).
The group said it drew its data from official reports.
Wisconsin facilities are contributing 55 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year from 47 plants, the CARMA study said. Some 75 percent of the Badger State’s energy comes from fossil fuels; 19 percent nuclear, 3 percent hydro; and nearly 2 percent from other renewable sources.
We Energies’ plants release the lion’s share of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, emitting 23.4 million tons of CO2 annually to produce 21.3 megawatts of power, the report said.
Coming in second is Wisconsin Power & Light, an Alliant Energy subsidiary, with 15.8 million tons. In third place is Wisconsin Public Service with 7.7 million tons of CO2, the report said.
In the region, Indiana contributes the most carbon dioxide from its power plants each year with 137 million tons, followed by Illinois at 112 million tons and Michigan at 91 million tons.
Wisconsin’s largest CO2 producer is the Pleasant Prairie plant, which emits nearly 9.7 tons of the pollutant annually, according to the report. Pleasant Prairie, in Kenosha County, is owned by We Energies and produces 8.3 million megawatt hours of power annually.
The second biggest emitter of CO2 is the Columbia plant in Pardeeville, which emits 8.5 tons annually, the report said. It is owned by Wisconsin Power & Light, which produces 7.1 million megawatts of power a year.
The third biggest producer of carbon dioxide is the Oak Creek plant south of Milwaukee, which emits 7.4 tons of CO2 and produces 6.6 million megawatts of power annually. Like Pleasant Prairie, it is owned by We Energies.
A We Energies official did not dispute the CARMA figures, but noted that there is currently no commercially proven technology to capture carbon from existing coal-fueled power plants.
“We Energies is hosting the first ever field test of a carbon capture process on a working coal-fueled power plant,” said Brian Manthey, a company spokesman.
“We are in partnership with Alstom Power and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on the project at our Pleasant Prairie plant which could begin as soon as December,” he said.
In addition, he said the company has added environmental upgrades to the Pleasant Prairie Power Plant that are reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 85-90 percent and sulfur dioxide emissions (SO2) by 90-95 percent.
“As part of our Power the Future program, we have also retired the coal-fueled units at our Port Washington plant and are in the process of replacing them with two natural gas-fueled units,” he said.
The first of the two units is in operation, while the other will be in service next year, he added.
We Energies is also building the largest wind farm in the state at our Blue Sky Green Field wind project in Fond du Lac County, he said. The project’s 88 turbines will produce 145 megawatts of power.
The company also has exercised its option on a wind project in central Wisconsin as part of its sale of the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant.
“Our Energy for Tomorrow program is one of the top customer participation renewable energy programs in the country,” he said. “It was one of the first of its kind when it was established in 1996 and currently has over 17,000 customers enrolled.”
Alliant Energy spokesman Steve Schultz said his company is also committed to reducing its CO2 emissions and investing in renewable energy.
“The challenge we face, as an energy provider, is to balance the need to provide affordable energy to our customers while making sure that we’re utilizing new technologies to reduce our impact on the environment and get on a path to a greener future,” he said.
“It is our goal to generate reliable, cost-effective energy and deliver valuable energy-related services, while also being a responsible corporate citizen and a good environmental steward.”
He said his company is now in the process of building Cedar Ridge Wind Farm in the communities of Eden and Empire in Fond du Lac County. It should be operational by fall of 2008, and will be capable of producing 68 megawatts of energy, enough to power 17,000 homes, he added.
“We’re also currently in negotiations to purchase the land to add another 400 megawatts of wind power territory-wide by 2010 bringing our total investment in wind energy to one billion dollars,” he said.
Some 200 megawatts of that additional 400 megawatts of power will be for Wisconsin customers, he said.
He also noted that the company’s proposed power plant in Cassville, Wisconsin is designed to burn 10 percent renewable “biomass” resource fuels, such as switchgrass, corn stalks and wood chips.
“We currently produce 450 megawatts of renewable energy, and will more than double that by 2010 further solidifying Alliant Energy’s position as an industry-leader when it comes to renewable energy,” he concluded.
To see the CARMA report, go to http://carma.org.
