On February 2010 I posted the announcement of an excellent news article by Timothy B. Wheeler in the Baltimore Sun
in my post
There was a follow up today on the issue I raised on the neglect of mentioning the effect of the air pollution control equipment on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. The new article is titled
Scrubber clears the air, but won’t help climate change
which includes the text
“Now, Constellation is saying, the scrubbers should make Brandon Shores one of the cleanest coal-burning plants of its size in the country.
One pollutant the scrubbers won’t remove, though, is carbon dioxide. A byproduct of burning coal, CO2 is the main “greenhouse” gas produced by human activities that scientific authorities say is gradually changing the earth’s climate. Though you can’t see it, it’s pouring out of the scrubber stack seen at left, along with the billowing white water vapor. Brandon Shores emitted 7.8 million tons of the gas in 2008, according to government figures supplied by Constellation’s John Quinn.”
“But the scrubbers will actually cause the plant’s emissions of carbon dioxide to increase about 2.5 percent, company spokesmen say. That’s because the plant will be using some of the electricity it produces to run its scrubber equipment, and will need to burn more coal to make up for the diverted power.”
The full article is worth reading.
