A new environmental study published last week by the Frontier Group names CPS Energy’s J.K. Spruce coal plant as being among the top 50 facilities in the country with the highest greenhouse gas emissions.
An Environment Texas follow-up analysis of the study notes that Texas is not only home to eight of these facilities, but that the Lone Star State also emits more greenhouse gases than any other state by almost double.
The group attributes 170 excess deaths between 1999 to 2020 to pollution that came from the J.K. Spruce Power Plant on the city’s Southeast Side.
According to the study, the public utility’s 1,444-megawatt coal-fired power plant released 7 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2022, making it the 42nd-largest climate polluter in the nation.
The study by Frontier Group, a research and advocacy organization focused on environmental issues, looks at the latest greenhouse gas data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
CPS Energy already has committed to shutter one unit, known as Spruce 1, by 2030 and plans to convert the other unit, Spruce 2, to natural gas by 2028.
But that timeline is not fast enough for those urging the utility to more quickly reduce its emissions. In 2020, Spruce emitted almost 6 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to the U.S. Energy Administration. Carbon dioxide is one of the leading causes of global climate change, as it traps heat in the atmosphere.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s grid operator, will have to be involved in the process of closing and transforming the J.K. Spruce power plant.
Any significant changes to power generation, including closures, typically require coordination with ERCOT to ensure grid reliability and to manage the transition of power supply.
Regulators have already expressed concern about CPS Energy’s plans to shutter its Braunig Power Plant, which they say may raise the risk of statewide power outages.