Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Avista is one of the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases in the electric utility industry.

Avista has the 11th lowest rate of CO₂ emissions (Greenhouse Gas) of the 100 largest electric power producers in the country, according to the 2010 report “Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in the United States” of the National Resources Defense Council. Avista has the third-lowest rate of carbon dioxide emissions among investor-owned utilities on the top 100 list.

• This is based on 2008 generation and emissions data
• This is based on lbs carbon dioxide/MWh
• This is in terms of generation resources owned by the company
• Based on 2006 operations, Avista’s rate of CO₂ emission ranked as the 14th lowest

The 2010 Benchmarking report is the seventh in a series that highlights environmental performance and progress in the nation’s electric power sector. The series uses publicly-reported data to compare the emissions performance of the 100 largest power producers in the United States.

Rate of CO₂ Emissions of Company-Owned Generation

100 Largest U.S. Electric Power Producers

Total direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions

Note: Avista has a 15 percent ownership interest in Units 3 and 4 of a coal-fired generating facility, the Colstrip Generating Project (Colstrip), located in southeastern Montana. During scheduled maintenance in March 2009, turbines in unit 4 of Colstrip, were found to be in need of major repair. These repairs extended a planned outage from March 2009 until November 2009, and impacted Avista’s total greenhouse gas emissions for 2009. Consequently, Avista’s total 2010 emissions reflect an increase in total greenhouse gas emissions.

Avista’s CO₂e Emission Intensity

Avista’s CO₂e Emissions

Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Avista strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through conservation and improving the efficiency of our operations, distribution and generation. We are already avoiding associated greenhouse gas emissions through the 111 average megawatts of energy efficiency on our system, as well as through system upgrades as a result of our smart grid projects, green fleet program and commute trip reduction participation.

While Avista has not established a specific greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal, we are undertaking voluntary efforts that provide both environmental and economic benefits. As federal climate change efforts continue to evolve, Washington State has enacted greenhouse gas reduction goals, but has not passed legislation to implement the plan. We will align our program with state and federal requirements as they take effect.