![]() (Fanning said a fuller report will be released later this year.)ĭive Insight quoted institutional investor First State Investments Global Listed Infrastructure that Fanning’s announcement “demonstrates Southern Company is willing to listen, and act, to address the long-term needs of all stakeholders alike – customers, employees, and shareholders.” ![]() ![]() Southern’s new greenhouse gas commitment has received initial praise even on sketchy details. Shareholder Joyce Lanning of Birmingham called such efforts “low-hanging fruit” and called for them to be prioritized. Tait said the company has “slow-walked” such programs. How well Southern will emphasize energy-efficiency programs in its carbon-reduction goal is questionable to some, based on past performance. Alabama Power charges an extra fee for rooftop solar energy connection to the grid, and the Alabama Public Service Commission is considering a complaint that alleges the fee is unjust and discriminatory. He said Southern has “actively blocked” progress toward renewable energy advancement. Tait blasted the company for continuing to develop new natural gas plant development, “in stark contrast” to commitments from some other major utilities that have either pledged to forego new gas plants or to achieve net-zero carbon without the use of offsets. (Southern Company operates the federally sponsored National Carbon Capture Center in Wilsonville as a research facility working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants.)Īs You Sow did commend Southern’s new goal, but was quoted in Greentech Media as looking forward “to more clarity on how it will achieve this new target, especially with regard to its large natural gas fleet.” Lila Holzman of As You Sow, a nonprofit that works for corporate accountability, said, “We think that relying on these unproven or uneconomic technologies is problematic when we see that renewables-plus-storage being proven out and costs dropping from year to year.” The company had to scrap the effort and write off billions of dollars in losses. He is senior campaign representative for the nonprofit’s Beyond Coal campaign.ĭaniel Tait of Huntsville, research and communications manager of the Energy and Policy Institute, pointed to Southern’s recent failed attempt to build carbon capture and sequestration into one of its plants in Mississippi. Stetson said large-scale use of that technology has not materialized and is “not realistic” to use as a goal-setting measure. Some also questioned whether the use of direct air carbon capture is ready for prime time. The Sierra Club’s Stephen Stetson told industry newsletter Utility Dive the plan is “too light on details to form an opinion about.” Southern Company (PRNewsFoto/Southern Company) Southern’s commitment was praised by many, but environmental groups and others decried the lack of details in the plan and the continued heavy dependence on fossil fuels – Alabama Power, for example, has applied to state regulators to increase its use of natural gas by 2 gigawatts. “Technology advancements in the coming years and other initiatives will support ongoig efforts to redce carbon emissions.” “By investing in diverse generation assets and new technologies, we are building the clean, safe, reliable and affordbable energy future that our customers trust us to deliver,” according to the statement from spokesman Michael Sznajderman. Southern’s CEO, Tom Fanning, also said the company may be able achieve 50% of its goal by as early as 2025.Īlabama Power said in a statement Wednesday that it has already achieved 38% carbon reduction from 2007 to 2019 and expects carbon emissions to continue to fall. The company will, however, continue to use fossil fuels to generate most of its energy and depend on carbon-reduction technology and energy-efficiency, tree-planting and other programs to offset its use of natural gas and coal to generate energy. ![]() Source: Southern CompanyĪlabama Power Company’s parent organization told shareholders it will reduce its greenhouse carbon emissions to “net zero” by 2050 for all its electric and gas operations, replacing its 2018 commitment to a “low-to-no carbon” future for all.
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