Xcel Energy has announced a goal of 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and a 100 percent carbon-free electricity goal in its eight-state Western and Midwestern service area by 2050.
Xcel said its lower emissions are the result of “continued high performance” from its nuclear power plants, reduced coal generation and an increase in generation from natural gas and some renewables.
Xcel is the first U.S. power company to commit to reduce net carbon dioxide emissions to zero by a date certain.
Xcel has plans to be open for nuclear power and incorporating carbon-capture technology if it should prove cost and operationally effective in the future.
In addition, Xcel is still active in natural gas. In November, Xcel purchased the $650 million Mankato Energy Center in Minnesota from Southern Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Co. And this year Google has plans to build a massive data center in Becker, Minn., which Xcel is powering.
