Greenhouse gas emissions from thermal power plants grew 75% in 2021

A study recently published by the Institute for Energy and Environment (IEMA) shows that in 2021, greenhouse gas emissions from coal fueled power plants grew 57% compared to 2020. The growth in overall emissions from thermal power plants is even worse: 75% considering all sources, such as coal, gas, fuel and diesel oil.

“The picture is worrying because, among all the power plants operating in the system, coal-fired plants are the ones that emit the most greenhouse gas per terawatt-hour produced. As a comparison, while coal generation represents 17% of the total electricity produced, greenhouse gas emissions from this fuel represent 30% of all emissions. Not to mention the impacts of these plants on air quality,” says Raissa Gomes, from IEMA, one of the authors of the study.

With this exponential increase, the share of fossil sources for electricity generation in Brazil rose from 15% in 2020 to 20% in 2021. The 82 fossil fuel power plants listed in the study emitted 55.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), points out IEMA.

Meanwhile, the businessman Carlos Suarez, known as “King of Gas”, is articulating to try to guarantee that his ally Elmar Nascimento, federal deputy for the Brazilian Union of Bahia, will be appointed Minister of Mines and Energy in the Lula government.