Study Suggests Investments In Energy Efficiency Better Choice Than Virginia Coal-Fired Power Plant

Wise Energy for Virginia, January 7, 2009

A new report, performed by Abt Associates, shows that investing in energy efficiency instead of building the Wise County coal plant to meet the same electricity demand would yield hundreds of millions of dollars more annually for the state and create at least 2,600 more jobs than the controversial 585-megawatt coal-fired power plant. The study finds that avoiding construction of the coal plant by investing in efficiency would save the average household in Dominion’s service territory between $52 and $91 per year in 2012. Energy efficiency instead of the Wise County plant would boost the state economy by at least $228 million to $323 million each year between 2012 and 2025. The benefits would be even greater if, as anticipated, the federal government enacts controls on global warming emissions. The report is available at: http://wiseenergyforvirginia.org/2009/01/energy-efficiency-trumps-coal-in-virginia-download-report .

http://wiseenergyforvirginia.org/2009/01/energy-efficiency-trumps-coal-in-virginia/