Leading U.S. competitive energy provider reduced or avoided more than
18 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2013
Company Website:
http://www.exeloncorp.com
CHICAGO -- (Business Wire)
Continuing its progress toward a clean energy future, Exelon announced
today that it reduced or avoided more than 18 million metric tons of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2013, surpassing its goal of
eliminating 17.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
per year by 2020.
The company completed the goal established by its Exelon 2020
program seven years earlier than planned through an enterprise-wide
approach that included reducing emissions in its operations, helping its
customers and communities reduce their emissions, and adding more clean
energy on the grid to displace energy from higher carbon sources. The
GHG emissions eliminated by Exelon in 2013 are equivalent to the annual*:
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GHG emissions of 3.8 million passenger vehicles,
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CO2 emissions from nearly 2.5 million homes’ electricity use, or
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carbon sequestered by 14.8 million acres of U.S. forests.
“We believe that clean, reliable and affordable energy is key to a more
sustainable future. Exelon 2020 has helped us move closer to that
vision,” said Chris Crane, Exelon’s president and CEO. “It provided us
with a clear goal, and we could not have accomplished it without the
dedication and effective collaboration of our employees, customers,
communities and business partners.”
The company surpassed its goal through a series of cost-effective
investments and business decisions in response to a rapidly shifting
energy landscape. By innovating and maintaining a focus on efficient
operations, Exelon achieved meaningful emissions reductions across its
family of businesses, even as the energy industry underwent major
changes since Exelon 2020 was introduced, including the natural
gas boom, the growth of renewables and the expansion of beyond-the-meter
solutions.
Examples of key Exelon initiatives that helped contribute to emissions
reductions and avoidance include:
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Retirement of fossil plants and company energy efficiency and process
improvement efforts that resulted in a reduction of more than 9.8
million metric tons of GHG emissions;
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Addition of 316 megawatts (MW) of emission-free energy through uprates
across the nuclear fleet;
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Employee efforts, such as increased waste recycling and carbon
sequestration projects, that resulted in 2013 reductions of nearly
80,000 metric tons;
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Customer energy efficiency programs at Exelon’s three utilities – BGE,
ComEd and PECO – that saved a total of approximately 6.3 million
megawatt-hours (MWh), equivalent to approximately 3.3 million metric
tons of emissions in 2013;
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Retail customer programs – including energy efficiency, distributed
solar installation, sale of voluntary renewable energy credits (RECs)
and demand response – that avoided more than 1.2 million metric tons
of GHG emissions in 2013;
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Retirement of more than 2.7 million MWh of RECs purchased by the
utilities in 2013 which support renewable development and meet state
renewable portfolio standard obligations;
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Retirement of more than 44,000 Climate Reserve Tonnes to offset
Exelon’s entire 2013 business travel carbon footprint; and
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Other company efforts since Exelon 2020 was introduced, such as
the integration of more than 1,300 MW of new wind generation and
addition of 359 MW of new solar capacity, that result in emissions
avoidance not accounted for under the program.
Exelon’s industry-leading fleet of nuclear power plants plays an
important role in its low-emissions profile, avoiding 82 million metric
tons of GHG emissions per year. At a time when nuclear power plants face
a combination of economic challenges that threaten their continued
operation, Crane noted that the Exelon fleet and nuclear power in
general remain essential to meeting the nation’s climate goals.
“Our reliable, always-on nuclear fleet produces enough affordable,
carbon-free energy to power 17 million homes annually,” Crane said. “It
is part of a U.S. fleet that provides 64 percent of our nation’s
carbon-free electricity, up to a quarter of which could be at risk for
early retirement. Losing that generating capacity would forfeit more
than half of the progress to date in meeting U.S. climate goals. Our
energy policies must ensure that existing nuclear energy plants are
preserved.”
Exelon ensures accurate tracking and verification of its annual GHG
emissions by conforming to The Climate Registry and the World Resources
Institute’s GHG Protocol, as well as ISO 14064 standards. Elements of
the Exelon 2020 program beyond its primary GHG inventory also
were third-party verified for 2013. More information on Exelon 2020
is available here.
In 2013, Exelon was the only U.S.-based utility company to appear on
CDP’s Global 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index and Climate
Performance Leadership Index for leadership in reducing carbon emissions
and addressing climate change. In recognition of Exelon’s consistently
strong sustainability
performance, the company has been named to the Dow Jones
Sustainability North America Index for eight consecutive years.
Exelon introduced Exelon 2020 in 2008, with a goal of eliminating
15.7 million metric tons of GHG emissions annually by 2020, as measured
from the company’s emissions in 2001, its first full year of operation.
Following the March 2012 merger of Exelon and Constellation, the company
updated its goal to reflect the combined carbon-abatement goals of the
two companies before they merged.
*U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies
Calculator
Exelon Corporation is the nation’s leading competitive energy
provider, with 2013 revenues of approximately $24.9 billion.
Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon has operations and business activities
in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the
largest competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 35,000
megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and
lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation
business unit provides energy products and services to approximately
100,000 business and public sector customers and approximately 1 million
residential customers. Exelon’s utilities deliver electricity and
natural gas to more than 6.6 million customers in central Maryland
(BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO). Follow
Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
Contacts:
Exelon Corporation
Paul Elsberg, 312-394-4879
paul.elsberg@exeloncorp.com
Source: Exelon Corporation
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