Duke Energy Pledges To Eliminate Carbon In Another 32 Years; For Now, Lots Of Coal And Pipelines

Duke Energy Corp. agreed to eliminate carbon emissions from its power plants and offset those that it can’t by 2050, joining a slew of power producers taking steps to limit the effects of global warming.

Duke, one of the largest U.S. emitters of greenhouse gases, plans to shift away from burning coal and invest in solar, nuclear and other carbon-free technologies, as well as natural gas, during the transition, according to a statement Tuesday.

A growing list of utilities and other power producers is pursuing the goal of cutting back on fossil fuels, in line with the pledges made in the Paris Climate Accord. Taking into account the latest announcement, utilities now providing about a third of U.S. electricity have promised to phase out carbon, said Armond Cohen, executive director of Clean Air Task Force.

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While some environmental groups praised Duke’s commitment, others pointed to the company’s continued use of coal and investments in natural-gas plants and pipelines. “Unfortunately, according to Duke’s most recent long-term plans filed across their territories, they expect to burn coal until 2048 and build a massive amount of new gas capacity,” Dave Rogers, a regional campaign director for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, said in a statement. “Both of those commitments are totally incompatible with a clean energy future that avoids the worst impacts of climate change.”

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-17/duke-energy-makes-biggest-pledge-to-cut-carbon-pollution-by-2050