Nevada Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Projections
Nevada Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Projections, 1990 to 2030
of unit that is expected to go into service, and the expected average usage of the new unit provides
enough information to estimate emissions.
3.2
Historical Emissions
Electricity generation emissions are largely dependent on the fuel source being used to generate
electricity. Nevada has for the past decade been moving away from coal-fired electric generation in
favor of cleaner, less expensive, natural gas and, to a lesser extent, a variety of renewable energy
sources (solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, and wind). Since the retirement of the Mohave Generating
Station 15, electricity generation emissions have been reduced by more than 10 MMTCO2eq. In 2013,
emissions were 15.144 MMTCO2eq as compared to 2005 emissions (2005 was the last year that Mohave
was in operation), which were 26.213 MMTCO2eq. Table 3-1 lists historical emissions from the
electricity generation sector. It also lists the CO2 emissions of the three main fossil fuel types used in the
generation of electricity in the United States. This shows the proliferation of natural gas as the primary
fuel source in the state and the slow decline of coal-fired generation.
Table 3-1: Electricity Generation Sector Historical Emissions, MMTCO₂eq
1990
1995
Total CO2, all fuels
16.777
18.190
2000 2005
24.673 26.114
Coal
15.198
14.792
18.049
17.977
2010
16.801
7.180
2011
2012 2013
14.152 14.611 15.107
5.699
4.268
5.559
Petroleum
0.249
0.024
0.054
0.019
0.000
0.167
0.000
0.000
Natural Gas
1.331
3.374
6.569
8.118
9.621
8.286
10.343
9.548
Total CH4, all fuels
Total N₂O, all fuels
Total Emissions
0.005
0.005
0.008 0.008 0.007
0.073 0.072 0.087 0.091 0.039
16.855 18.267 24.771 26.213 16.858
0.005
0.006 0.006
0.031 0.027 0.031
14.190 14.665 15.144
Figure 3-1 illustrates historical electricity generation sector emissions in the state from 1990 to 2013.
Very large changes to the state's emissions often have to do with the opening or closing of a plant (for
example 2005 versus 2006 emissions and the closure of the Mohave Generating Station). The short
term changes to emissions, or those that generally happen on an annual basis, have far more to do with
things like the weather and the economy. An especially hot summer could mean hundreds of thousands
of A/C units being used when they otherwise wouldn't and power plants would need to be utilized to
meet that demand and thus emissions increase.
15
The Mohave Generating Station was a 1,580 MW coal-fired power plant in Nevada that was retired in 2005.
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