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Power Plant Emissions Are Going Down

America’s electric companies work to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in the most environmentally friendly way possible. These companies spend billions of dollars each year on environmental practices, technologies, and operational measures to protect human health and the environment.

Power Plants Reduce Emissions Despite Increasing Electricity DemandSince 1980, electric companies have reduced their emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 44 percent and 40 percent, respectively—despite enormous increases in both electricity demand and economic growth.1

The electric power industry also leads all other sectors in taking voluntary actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2005, the latest year for which data are available, The Electric Power Sector Leads All Other Industrial Sectors in Reducing CO2the electric power sector undertook voluntary programs or projects that led to nearly two-thirds of all carbon-equivalent GHG reductions reported to the federal government.2

Going forward, the industry will continue to look for new and innovative ways to generate electricity—and to use it wisely—while also protecting the environment.

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1Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
2U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program, 2005 Annual Report. Analysis by Edison Electric Institute.