Monday 14 February 2022

Duke Energy pledges full exit from coal by 2035

Duke Energy has made a commitment to ensure less than 5% of energy comes from coal-fired power plants by 2030 and pledged a full exit from coal by 2035.

The US power company has retired 56 coal units, representing around 7,500MW since 2010 and filed integrated resources plans with preferred scenarios that support exiting coal generation by 2035.

It previously announced a goal to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions from electric generation by 2050.

It is now expanding its 2050 goal to include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions.

In its electric business, Duke Energy's net zero goal will include greenhouse gas emissions from the power it purchases for resale, from the procurement of fossil fuels used for generation and from the electricity purchased for its own use.

For the natural gas business, it means adding a new 2050 net zero target that includes upstream methane and carbon emissions related to purchased gas and downstream carbon emissions from customers' consumption.

Katherine Neebe, Duke Energy Chief Sustainability Officer said: “As one of America's largest electric and gas utilities, we and many of our stakeholders share the view that we can take a leadership role in tackling the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our business and value chain.

“Policy changes and technological innovation are expected to play a key role in meeting these enhanced goals.”