TXU’s Climate Challenge Program
Since 1991, when accounting began for voluntary greenhouse gas emission reductions, TXU’s programs have reduced, avoided or sequestered the equivalent of 241.4 million tons of CO2 in one of the largest individual company efforts in the U.S. These reductions have been reported to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) each year since 1995. Results are available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/vrrpt.

In 2003 (the latest figures available), TXU’s voluntary greenhouse gas reduction program sequestered, avoided or eliminated the equivalent of 24.7 million tons of carbon dioxide through 13 different programs and projects. The company’s U.S. CO2 emissions from fossil power plants totaled 60.1 tons. Had these voluntary Climate Challenge projects not been in place, TXU’s greenhouse emissions would have totaled over 83.7 million tons.

The remaining parts of the program are “offsets,” or projects that capture/sequester carbon or can be credited with offsetting emissions that would have otherwise taken place. Because of these offset projects, CO2 emissions were effectively reduced by more than 1.1 million tons to the equivalent of just under 59 million tons. The results of TXU’s reduction efforts in 2004 will be reported to the DOE by mid-2005.