Calpine to Further Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rate
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
Calpine Corporation , a leader in environmentally preferred power generation and member of the U.S. EPA Climate Leaders, is pledging to further improve its low-carbon emissions profile.
Calpine's goal is, by 2008, to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG)
efficiency-based emissions rate (pounds of GHG emitted/megawatt-hour of
electricity generated) by four-percent from 2003 levels. Compared to the average
fossil-fueled power plant in the United States, Calpine's combined-cycle,
natural gas-fired units on average release nearly 54-percent less carbon dioxide
(CO2) - the principal greenhouse gas.
Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnership Division,
added, "Calpine's commitment to the environment is reflected in its power
generation portfolio and its policy to invest in and promote clean power
generation technologies. EPA commends Calpine for its pledge to further improve
its low-carbon profile. Calpine is demonstrating that power companies can
generate electricity reliably while significantly decreasing emissions and
conserving natural resources."
Calpine is enhancing its operations and maintenance program and has patented
new technologies to improve the fuel efficiency of natural gas-fired combustion
turbines. Calpine has successfully completed its 2003 U.S. GHG emissions
inventory, which is a requirement for participation in the Climate Leaders
program. In addition, Calpine voluntarily agreed to certification of its
inventory by an independent qualified third party.
"Calpine's modern fossil-fuel power fleet is already one of the most
efficient of its size in the nation, thus opportunities to reduce actual GHG
emissions are limited," stated Calpine's Vice President of Safety, Health
and Environment Neal Pospisil. "Despite that achievement, we aren't
stopping there. We've pioneered several plant performance improvement
initiatives to achieve our GHG goal. And working with the EPA to establish an
accurate accounting of our carbon emissions and baseline GHG intensity index is
one of the first steps toward achieving our goal."
Climate Leaders is an EPA industry-government partnership that works with
companies to develop long-term comprehensive climate change strategies. Partners
set a corporate-wide greenhouse (GHG) reduction goal and inventory their
emissions to measure progress. By reporting inventory data to EPA, Partners
create a lasting record of their accomplishments. Partners also identify
themselves as corporate environmental leaders and strategically position
themselves as climate change policy continues to unfold. Climate Leaders
Partners come from a variety of sectors, from heavy manufacturing to banking and
retail. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/index.html.
A major power company, Calpine Corporation supplies customers and communities
with electricity from clean, efficient, natural gas-fired and geothermal power
plants. Calpine owns, leases and operates integrated systems of plants in 21
U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Its customized products and services
include wholesale and retail electricity, natural gas, gas turbine components
and services, energy management, and a wide range of power plant engineering,
construction and operations services. Calpine was founded in 1984. It is
included in the S&P 500 Index and is publicly traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol CPN. For more information, visit http://www.calpine.com/.
Calpine Corporation
CONTACT: Peggy Duxbury of Calpine Corporation, +1-720-946-1305, orpduxbury@calpine.com;
or Cynthia Cummis of U.S. EPA Climate Leaders Program,+1-202-343-9232, or
cummis.cynthia@epa.gov, for Calpine Corporation
Web site: http://www.calpine.com/