US utilities discuss sharing power technologies with China, India

Washington (Platts)--11Dec2006

Officials with the US government and three large utilities are in talks
with Chinese and Indian officials that could lead to technology-sharing
agreements aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

Executives from American Electric Power, Southern Company and Tampa
Electric have met several times under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific
Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, also known as the AP6 for the US
and five other member countries.

Dennis Welch, AEP's vice president for environment and safety, discussed
the AP6's power sector collaboration Friday at a climate change meeting
sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of
Energy.

At a US tour of power plants earlier this year, Chinese engineers showed
interest in the state-of-the-art power industry technology, integrated
gasification combined cycle turbines. "The Chinese are really focused on
IGCC," Welch said. "They realize they're choking on their own emissions, but
they're struggling because they want to continue to grow."

China and India are growing faster economically than any other countries
in the world, which means they have tremendous needs for energy and raw
materials such as steel and concrete. DOE technology director Bob Dixon said
China is building a coal-fired power plant each week.

Welch added that the group could not give Indian engineers, "enough
information" about US power plants.

The US utilities are hoping for some insights into Chinese and Indian
technologies. AEP, for example, is interested in plasma technology Chinese
power firms use to fire their coal-burning boilers. AEP and other US companies
tried to develop such technology in the 1970s and 1980s, but China "apparently
has perfected it," Welch said, adding that because plasma technology is likely
more efficient it could reduce CO2 emissions

--Martin Coyne, martin_coyne@platts.com

For more news, request a free trial to Platts Emissions Daily at
http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/index.xml?src=story
or subscribe now at
http://www.platts.com/infostore/product_info.php?cPath=23_33&products_id=62