Carbon dioxide - CO2
Greater efficiency, fewer emissions
What Big Stone II is doing to limit carbon dioxide emissons.
Because we are committed to meeting the growing needs of our customers in a way that is both financially prudent and environmentally sensitive, the participating Big Stone II companies have taken steps to ensure that the new plant will achieve the greatest efficiency with the fewest emissions.
- By using supercritical pulverized coal technology, the new plant will emit 20% less carbon dioxide than the average existing coal-fired power plants in the region.
- As a result of an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Big Stone II participants will offset 100% of Big Stone II’s carbon dioxide emissions attributable to Minnesota customers.
- Big Stone II is designed to produce fly ash suitable for replacing cement in concrete mixtures. Because more than a ton of carbon dioxide is emitted to create each ton of cement used in concrete, each ton of fly ash used in place of cement reduces greenhouse gases by at least a ton. While the sale of fly ash will not reduce our CO2 emissions, it will reduce those of cement manufacturers.
- Big Stone II participants continue to be heavily involved in research on CO2 emissions reduction and capture and sequestration technologies.
- Big Stone II is designed to be carbon capture retrofit-ready — able to incorporate carbon capture technology when it becomes available and cost effective.
All these efforts produce positive results without compromising our ability to provide customers with affordable, reliable energy.
Big Stone II strikes a balance between environmental and customer needs.
The Big Stone II project participants share a responsibility to deliver energy in the most efficient, cost effective, and environmentally responsible way possible. Big Stone II—combined with each participants’ energy conservation measures and renewable energy resources—is the best solution to help us meet that responsibility in the near future and for years to come.
An abundant, reliable and price-stable fuel for baseload generation, coal supplies more than half of the electricity consumed by Americans. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, one quarter of the world’s coal reserves are found within the United States, and the energy content of these coal resources exceeds that of all the world’s known recoverable oil. Big Stone II would contribute to reducing our nation’s dependence on imported energy and our region’s dependence on expensive natural gas.
We understand that renewable sources of energy may produce less CO2, but one energy source alone cannot produce sufficient electricity to meet the growing electrical demand. A diversity of energy resources is needed to supply a reliable energy mix for customers. Big Stone II is just one of the ways that its co-owners will meet growing energy demand. At the same time, we will continue to actively support investment in clean coal and emission control technologies.
The transition to a carbon-constrained future must be accomplished in a common-sense manner — one that preserves our economic well being. A global warming mitigation strategy that falls short regarding our regional and national economy replaces one problem with a set of new ones.
For more information, contact:
Dan Sharp, Manager, Communications . 701-426-3650
Steve Schultz, Manager, External Affairs . 218-770-9111
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