Full Title: Capital Investments in Emission Control Retrofits in the U.S. Coal-fired Generating Fleet through the Years – 2016 Update
Author(s): Thomas Hewson & Phillip Graeter
Publisher(s): American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
Publication Date: January 1, 2016
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Description (excerpt):
To comply with U.S. environmental regulations, the power industry has made (and continues to make) significant capital investments in air emission control technologies to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter, nitrogen oxides (NOx), mercury, and other emissions at coal-fired power plants. Environmental regulations such as the Title IV Acid Rain program, the OTR NOx Budget Trading program, the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) have already spurred more than $110 billion (nominal) of capital investments in new and retrofitted air emission controls at U.S. coal-fired generating units through 2015 with announced plans to reach $122 billion by the end of 2017. These large air pollution control capital investments are in addition to the other power industry environmental investments made in water treatment and waste disposal or at their non-coal generating units. The capital costs exclude the significant operating costs for these air controls which add significantly to coal power generation costs.