New Rules for Power Plants Could Give Carbon Capture a Boost. Here’s How.

By Brad Plumer | April 26, 2023 | The New York Times

Carbon dioxide capture equipment at a power station near Houston that uses both coal and natural gas. Credit...Michael Stravato for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s plan to limit, for the first time, greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants could hinge on the ability of plant operators to capture carbon dioxide before it is pumped into the atmosphere.

Yet none of the nation’s 3,400 coal- and gas-fired power plants are currently using carbon capture technology in a significant way, raising questions about the viability of that approach. In the coming weeks, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose strict new limits on emissions from coal- and natural gas-burning power plants, which are responsible for about 25 percent of the country’s greenhouse gases. Those emissions are dangerously heating the planet.

While electric utilities could pursue other strategies to reduce pollution, such as switching to wind or solar power, experts say capturing carbon dioxide and burying it underground might be one of the few options for some large coal and gas plants to keep operating while complying with the new rules. Continue reading on The New York Times