Analysis: U.S., U.K. and Canada Converging on GHG Emission Standard of 1000 lb CO₂e/MWh

As indicated in a related article in this E-Alert, the Canadian government announced a GHG emission standard for electricity generating units last week. The US EPA proposed a GHG emission standard in April and the British government also proposed a standard earlier this year. After converting the standards to common units, it appears that the three governments are converging on a very similar standard:

U.S.:                   1000 lb/MWh

U.K.:                     992 lb/MWh (450 g/kWh)

Canada:               926 lb/MWh (420 metric  tonnes/GWh)

While the applicability of the standards to existing plants varies to some degree, all three standards would apply to new fossil-fuel fired electricity generating units and all three standards create exemptions for coal-fired units with carbon capture and storage.