Europe's Dirty 30
Replacement scenarios
Today, the Dirty 30 – Europe’s dirtiest power plants – burn very CO2-intense fuels: lignite, hard coal and oil.
In 2006, these 30 power plants produced 393.4 million tonnes of CO2.
This is equal to the annual emissions of 91.4 million cars.
By 2030, most of the generating units in these power stations will have reached the end of their technical lifespan.
WWF has examined 3 scenarios for future power generation:
From COAL to COAL
This scenario assumes that every power plant unit which reaches the end of its technical lifetime is replaced by a modern plant with the same fuel.
For new hard coal fired power plants an average efficiency of 45 per cent and for new lignite fired power plants an average efficiency of 43 per cent were assumed.
If by 2030, all the outdated generating units have been replaced by new plants that still use the same fuels (lignite, hard coal, oil) then the Dirty 30 would produce 83.6 million tonnes of CO2 less each year. That’s because of minor technology improvements.
This is the equivalent of taking 19.44 million cars off the road each year.
From COAL to GAS
This scenario assumes that every power plant unit after its technical lifetime is replaced by a new, highly efficient gas fired combined cycle power plant with an emission level of 365 grams CO2 per Kilowatt hour.
If by 2030, all the outdated generating units have been replaced with plants that use cleaner gas, then the Dirty 30 would produce 214.2 million tonnes of CO2 less each year.
This is the equivalent of taking almost 50 million cars off the road each year. It would mean reducing the emissions by more than 54%!
From COAL to CLEAN
This scenario assumes that every unit reaching the end of its technical lifetime is replaced by CO2-free power generation capacities from renewable energies.
If by 2030, all the outdated generating units have been replaced with renewable energies, then the Dirty 30 would produce 311 million tonnes of CO2 less each year.
This is the equivalent of taking 72.3 million cars off the road each year.
Think about it.
In total, the Dirty 30 would produce only 82 million tonnes instead of 393. This means savings of more than 79%.
