US utility Exelon to cut emissions by 50%
US utility company Exelon said August 4 it would pursue its carbon-reduction goals by electrifying its vehicle fleet, utilising clean electricity and cutting methane leaks from its infrastructure.
Exelon Utilities, part of a group that counts more than 10mn customers across five states and the District of Columbia, said it set a goal of cutting its operations-driven emissions by 50% by 2030, relative to 2015 levels.
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To reach its objective, the company said it would convert 30% of its fleet to run on electric power by 2025, and reach 50% by 2030. Elsewhere, it would focus on utilising clean energy at its operations and modernising its natural gas infrastructure to cut down on methane emissions.
“These aggressive goals seek to eliminate emissions from our utility operations, provide needed support to state and local climate goals and give customers expanded access to clean and affordable energy solutions,” CEO Calvin Butler said.
Exelon has already met or exceeded its three previous emissions reductions goals dating back to 2005.
US utility companies are making changes to facilitate the energy transition. Early this week, Southern Company Gas, along with its partners at Electro-Active Technologies and T2M Global, secured $1mn in funding from the US Department of Energy to examine what it said was “next-generation” clean hydrogen technology.
Project partners envision the distribution of hydrogen sourced from food waste, which they said would not only cut down on waste in landfills but also minimise emissions from the food value chain.
In one of his first acts in office, president Joe Biden set a target of achieving a 50% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, relative to a 2005 baseline.