Royal Dutch Shell Plc  .com Rotating Header Image

Monsters and Critics.com: Industry divided on energy from coal


ST. LOUIS, MO, United States (UPI) — U.S. energy industry leaders are divided on the best way to produce energy from coal — with some providers showing reluctance to adopt cleaner technology.

U.S. coal reserves could last at least 200 years at the current rate of energy consumption, but coal is largely responsible for increases in global warming, The New York Times reported.

A 500-megawatt coal-fired electricity plant that generates enough power for 500,000 homes annually produces roughly the same emissions as 750,000 cars, Royal Dutch Shell estimates.

Michael G. Morris, head of American Electric Power — the nation`s largest coal consumer — plans to build two new 600-megawatt plants with cleaner technology. Morris says the plants will be less expensive to retrofit with equipment needed to take carbon dioxide underground.

‘The politics around climate issues are very real,’ said Morris. ‘That`s why we need to move on this now.’

Gregory H. Boyce, chief executive of Peabody Energy in Wyoming — the largest private sector coal producer in the world — remains unconvinced of the technology and the costs, the newspaper said.

Only a dozen of the 140 new coal-fired power plants are expected to use the new technology, the Times reported.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comment Rules

  • Please show respect to the opinions of others no matter how seemingly far-fetched.
  • Abusive, foul language, and/or divisive comments may be deleted without notice.
  • Each blog member is allowed limited comments, as displayed above the comment box.
  • Comments must be limited to the number of words displayed above the comment box.
  • Please limit one comment after any comment posted per post.