Responsible Coal

PSEG has invested $1.6 Billion to significantly reduce pollution, spur economic activity and protect public health.

We all want the electricity that powers our homes, offices and factories to be produced in an environmentally responsible manner. PSEG has stepped up to meet that challenge by outfitting its New Jersey and Connecticut coal stations with new pollution control equipment and adjusting plant operations that have:

Reduce Emissions

PSEG’s Hudson and Mercer plants are now among the cleanest, most responsible coal stations in America. We have retrofitted these New Jersey plants with scrubbers, selective catalytic reduction, baghouses and activated carbon injection.PSEG’s investments at these plants have resulted in substantial reductions in harmful emissions.

Our Bridgeport plant is also among the nation’s cleanest. There, we are reducing Hazardous Air Pollutants emissions at both the front-end and the back-end of combustion process. The station burns ultra-low sulfur coal with low NOx burners. In 2008, we installed a baghouse with activated carbon injection at the backend of the combustion process. This strategy has significantly reduced emissions of particulates, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury.

Emissions at the plants have been dramatically reduced, including mercury emissions, which have been reduced by more than 90 percent.

PSEG Power’ s Reduced Environmental Footprint

Since 1990, PSEG Power has invested more than $3 billion to upgrade its generating facilities in New Jersey and other states, providing much-needed jobs along the way. By installing new equipment, increasingly relying on cleaner fuels, and using highly efficient new generation sources, PSEG has dramatically lowered its emissions rates.

Putting People to Work

For three years, more than 1600 workers installed leading edge technologies -- scrubbers, selective catalytic reduction, baghouses and activated carbon injection – at our New Jersey stations, reducing emissions of mercury, particulates, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide by 90 percent or more.

Union Labor Contracted by PSEG Power for Emission Control Projects 

To operate and maintain the emissions control devices, we have added two dozen well-paying positions at both our Hudson and Mercer plants. The new equipment consumes tons of lime, activated carbon and ammonia, which have to be purchased and safely disposed of after use, creating additional economic opportunities and jobs.

A Level Playing Field

The emissions control equipment added to our Hudson and Mercer coal plants require the consumption of lime, activated carbon and ammonia to clean the air. The operation of the equipment also requires the addition of a dozen well paying positions at these plants. The cost of labor, materials and waste disposal increases the cost of operation by millions of dollars, additional expenses not all our competitors incur.

Fuel Diversity Protects Consumers

A mix of fuels help protect consumers from price spikes and supply interruptions. For example, when Hurricane Katrina interrupted natural gas production, the availability of plants that use other fuels helped keep the power flowing. Fuel diversity allows generators to use the least expensive fuel source, when the cost of one fuel rises units that burn other fuels become relatively less expensive.

Coal will remain an important source of electricity – about half of America’s electricity is now generated with coal. It’s a plentiful, low-cost, domestic energy resource. During the summer, coal plays a vital role in producing the power that keeps air conditioners humming. During the winter, when natural gas is in short supply, coal-generated electricity becomes critical to keeping the lights on.

United States Electricity Generation - 2009

Please read our online report titled - Responsible Coal: Managing Opportunities and Risk