Texas Coal Plant Strikes Agreement with Environmental Groups to Offset Emissions

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It seems that opposition against coal power plants is gaining momentum. We reported earlier that the UK government is under pressure to take strict action against coal-fired plants and now it looks like US coal plants are having a tough time as well.

NRG Texas LLC, a subsidiary of NRG Energy had come under fire for wanting to add a third plant to its Limestone Station near Houston. Initially, the Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition and the Environmental Defense Fund were planning to thwart its expansion plans. But now NRG has reached an agreement with the two groups wherein the power generator will go ahead with the third unit and has pledged to partially offset its carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Among other measures, NRG will offset or sequester fifty per cent of the additional unit’s carbon emissions; invest in solar energy project or energy-efficiency projects in Texas and reduce water usage at the new unit by sixty per cent.

Jim Marston of Environmental Defense Fund applauded NRG’s efforts, he said :

“Offsets, such as the projects that NRG has committed to invest in, are a low-cost way to get the large reductions in greenhouse gases that are necessary to prevent catastrophic impacts of global warming..”