An industry media source states Westar has taken coal off of the table citing:
"Soaring construction costs and growing opposition to coal-fired plants have led it to focus on a mix of energy efficiency, wind farms, and natural gas-fired plants to meet its incremental power needs for the foreseeable future."
Governor Kaine, there's more on the flip.
Westar Energy continues claiming:
Capital costs associated with a new coal plant have "nearly doubled" in the past two years to "as much as $2,400-$2,900/kW," gas prices have fallen, the climate-change issue "has moved from a polarizing debate to mainstream belief" and "clean-coal" technologies involving carbon capture and sequestration "have not yet proved themselves in commercial applications."
Furthermore Westar states it will:
"make significant investments in environmental upgrades at existing coal plants and continue to study and remain flexible with respect to traditional baseload coal, nuclear and emerging baseload technologies."
Now that another major utility has demonstrated escalating costs make it more economically feasible to consider the alternative, in combination with the fact new clean coal technology won't be around for another decade or more, isn't it time, Governor Kaine, to issue an Executive Order releasing Virginia from a committment towards a dangerous and dirty future?
How about it, Dominion?????
Energy Giant Scraps Plans for 8 Coal Plants
Environmental agreement is tied to buyout of TXU Corp.Posted: 26-Feb-2007; Updated: 06-Mar-2007
Today is a truly historic day in the fight against global warming.
News just broke that Texas Pacific Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. are seeking to acquire Texas-based energy giant TXU Corp.
As part of the sale agreement, Environmental Defense helped negotiate an aggressive environmental platform that will, among other things:
* Terminate plans for the construction of 8 of 11 coal-fired power plants TXU had hoped to build;
* Stop TXU's plans to expand coal operations in other states;
* Endorse the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) platform, including the call for a mandatory federal cap on carbon emissions; and
* Reduce the company's carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
But oh no, not in Virginia. God forbid.