July 20, 2006

PPL Joins Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership

PPL has joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership in Montana to support the development of technologies that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the state’s fossil-fuel power plants.

“By joining this partnership, PPL Montana will have access to current – and in some cases, exclusive – information about opportunities for long-term disposal of carbon dioxide from power plant emissions,” said Mark Lambrecht, PPL Montana’s regulatory affairs manager.

“The partnership also has access to federal funds for technology development. We expect the partnership to be very useful to PPL Montana as we work to keep our plants competitive and carry out our commitment to the environment,” Lambrecht said.

An increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels is thought by many renowned scientific organizations to contribute to changes in the Earth’s climate.

The Big Sky Partnership, which is based at Montana State University in Bozeman, offers participants access to information about developing technologies, regulations and infrastructure needs for disposing of large quantities of carbon dioxide deep underground or offsetting emissions in plantings for forests or rangelands.

These potential technological solutions for carbon dioxide emissions still have many unknowns.

Dr. Susan Capalbo, Big Sky Partnership Director, pursued PPL Montana’s participation in the program because of its reputation as an environmentally responsible company.

She said she looks forward to PPL Montana’s collaboration on carbon dioxide storage projects, technology development and involvement in energy forums.

PPL is supporting research and technology development in other ways as well. In Montana, Lambrecht serves on the Montana Climate Change Advisory Committee. PPL is a member of the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, a non-profit consortium of electricity generators and coal producers working with the federal government to develop a near-zero-emissions coal-fired power plant that also will capture carbon dioxide for underground disposal. PPL also has been involved in renewable energy projects, including wind power, landfill methane recovery, fuel cells and solar power.