EPRI President Lauds Ameren, Entergy as latest utilities to make Net-Zero by 2050 Commitments, Lays Out Research Roadmap
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This week Ameren joined a growing number of utilities pledging to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050.
Ameren's announcement to reduce emissions across its operations in Missouri and Illinois comes just a week after Entergy said it would accelerate its climate action goal to cut carbon emissions across its fleet of power plants to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Ameren's net-zero announcement was paired with its plan to expand solar and wind generation in its fleet and retire its entire coal-fired fleet by 2042. Retirements will begin in two years.
Ameren's Chairman and CEO said the company's plan was a "transformative" one that accelerates its transition to "clean energy."
Ameren Missouri said it would continue to invest in carbon-free energy sources--nuclear, hydro and solar, which comprise about 30% of its generation mix. But the company said it would consider "additional clean energy innovations."
The two utility giants—Ameren and Entergy--are among the most recent powerhouses to set the net-zero target.
Over the past three years, other major utilities, such as Richmond-based Dominion Energy, Charlotte-based Duke Energy, Atlanta-based Southern Company, Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy, Newark-based Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), Detroit-based DTE Energy, and Milwaukee-based WEC Energy Group, have all pledged to reduce emissions from utility operations to net-zero by 2050.
In a statement, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) President Arshad Mansoor said:
"I applaud Ameren and Entergy for showing leadership within the electric power industry toward a decarbonized future. Utilities already provide reliable and affordable electricity while reducing emissions and protecting environmental quality.
"All of these utilities that have pledged to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050 have sent a message to our industry that we need to continue our efforts to advance technologies and alternative fuels that will underpin our environmental and sustainability efforts.
"What seems like an ambitious target is attainable. Innovation drives this goal. Our team at EPRI and our colleagues at the Gas Technology Institute are leading an industry-wide research and development consortium—the Low Carbon Resources Initiative --to unearth, develop, demonstrate and deploy low-carbon technologies that will help utilities like Entergy achieve those emission reduction goals. We continue to build the consortium.
"The blueprint to net zero is EPRI's Project 2X to 2050, which ramps up energy efficiency, cleaner electricity generation, efficient electrification and the use of alternatives fuels. Fundamental advances in a variety of low-carbon electric generation technologies and low-carbon chemical energy carriers -- such as clean hydrogen, bioenergy, and renewable natural gas -- are needed to enable affordable pathways to economy-wide decarbonization."
About EPRI
The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, nonprofit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, affordability, health, safety and the environment. EPRI members represent 90% of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States with international participation extending to 40 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Dallas, Texas; Lenox, Mass.; and Washington, D.C.
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SOURCE Electric Power Research Institute
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