Big Stone II will help bridge the electricity gap
December 17, 2007
While not yet a breakfast table topic, the term “carbon-constrained economy” will slowly find its way into our everyday language. It refers to a future American economy driven by fuels that either use no carbon or emit carbon dioxide at much lower rates than today.
A carbon-constrained economy will rely on new nuclear plants, renewable energy, natural gas, and clean coal as the main new source fuels for electricity generation. Energy efficient appliance and conservation standards will help reduce the need for new generation resources even further.
Although coal probably seems out of place in the future, carbon-constrained order of things, experts agree we will continue to use it indefinitely to produce more than half our electricity needs.
Because the transition from research and development to commercial use takes time, most industry planners and government analysts do not foresee a carbon-constrained economy taking hold for another 25 years or more. Nonetheless, some activists would have us believe that the transition can happen overnight – that we can turn direction on a dime and immediately reject fossil fuels to produce electricity – without harming the economy.
Our current technology and infrastructure will not permit such a radical change. That is why is it critical that we begin using efficient generation resources to bridge the gap while other ways of producing electricity are planned, tested, and brought to market.
Big Stone II will be one of those efficient, “bridging” resources. It will emit 20 percent less carbon dioxide than comparable power plants, making its power more valuable as we progress to a carbon-constrained economy. And, because Big Stone II is expected to be a useful resource for some 60 years, older coal-burning plants can be gradually retired thereby helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Additionally, the Big Stone II participants will continue to follow the development of technology that might someday allow power plant owners to capture and sequester the carbon dioxide emissions they produce. While practical application of this technology is probably 10 to 20 years or more away, it might become an option for plants being built today.
Big Stone II, using a modern, highly efficient design, will help us sustain our economic health and standard of living while bridging to a future of even fewer carbon emissions. That's a sensible strategy – one that balances consumers' power needs with their concern for a healthy environment.
Sincerely,
Mark Rolfes,
Manager
Big Stone II Project
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