The second-largest power utility in the United States, NRG, will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 as part of a “clear course towards a clean energy future,” CEO David Crane announced last week.
“The goals you never set, you are certain to never meet,” he told the groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new, environmentally friendly headquarters in Princeton, NJ.
“While NRG is pushing renewables hard, to accomplish these objectives the company is also banking on cost-effective carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) for its emissions-intensive coal-fired power plants, as well as new natural gas generation coming online,” Climate Progress notes. The company has 21 coal-fired power stations, more than 100 oil or gas facilities, about 30 wind power plants, and five solar installations generating nearly 2,300 megawatts.
“I would hate to see the country sort of turn its back on coal,” Crane said. But “CCS technology remains too expensive and geographically limited,” so “new technologies need to be developed and deployed.”
