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美国能源公司：清洁科技有利可图

Even before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its proposed rules this month for reducing carbon emissions¹ from the nation’s power plants, energy companies began converting older plants to cleaner technologies because they think it makes economic sense. The Bremo Power plant in Virginia has converted itself from the state's oldest coal burning facility to one powered by natural gas. 

早在美国环境保护局这个月发布有关全国发电厂减少碳排放的提议之前，电力公司已经开始采用清洁能源技术，因为他们认为这样做有经济效益。维吉尼亚州的布莱默发电厂刚从这个州最古老的煤炭燃烧发电设施转换为天然气发电。

The trains that run through rural Virginia no longer deliver coal to the Bremo Power facility. The plant’s coal conveyor will soon be dismantled². Greg Searcy, the plant’s operation manager, says the plan is to turn the old coal storage area into a grass field.

穿越维吉尼亚州乡村的火车不再向布莱默发电厂运送煤炭了。这个工厂的煤炭输送带也马上就要拆除。格雷格·瑟西是工厂的运营经理，他说他们计划将过去堆放煤的区域改造成一片草地。

“This area right here is where we used to have the coal pile, and we would have about 60 days of coal operation and inventory³ on the pile," said Searcy.

他说：“现在这个地点是我们以前堆放煤的地方，堆放的煤炭可以保障大约60天的消耗。”

Natural gas now powers the Bremo station.  The $53 million conversion⁴ project was undertaken in part to comply with existing environmental regulations.

布莱默发电厂现在靠天然气发电。进行这个五千三百万美元的技术改造项目，也是为了适应现有的环境法规。

The plant uses pressurized steam to turn the electromagnetic rotors to generate electricity.

发电厂使用压缩蒸汽带动电磁转轮发电。

Burning natural gas instead of coal to heat water into steam reduces by 40 percent the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions, that most scientists say are a major contributor to global warming.

电厂燃烧天然气代替煤炭，将水加热产生蒸汽，这样可以使这家电厂的二氧化碳排放量减少40%。许多科学家认为，二氧化碳排放是全球变暖的主要原因之一。

Ed Bain, Dominion⁵ Power's vice⁶ president for power generation, says converting this plant to gas was also part of the company’s long term business plan.

艾德·贝恩是多米尼恩电厂负责管理发电的副总裁。他说，把这家电厂转向天然气发电也是公司长期业务计划中的一部分。

“Dominion has always been an advocate of diversity in our fuel mix.  Whether it is coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydro, renewables, we want to make sure that we are doing what’s right to keep rates low for our customers, improve reliability⁷ and also protect the environment," said Bain.

他说：“多米尼恩公司一直倡导燃料的多样性。不论是煤炭、天然气、核能还是水电，我们都希望确保我们所做的能够让我们的客户少交钱，能够提高可靠性，并且能够保护环境。”

Bain says, in part because Dominion converted Bremo to gas, the company was given permission by state regulators to build a new coal burning plant elsewhere.

贝恩说，多米尼恩公司得到州监管机构的许可，可以在其他地方兴建一个新的燃煤电厂，部分原因是它将布莱默改造成了燃烧天然气的电厂。

Elgie Holstein, with the Environmental Defense⁸ Fund advocacy group, says it is unrealistic to ban coal completely. It is an abundant and relatively⁹ cheap fuel.  But he says new coal plants will be limited and cleaner.

环境捍卫基金倡导组织的埃尔吉·荷斯坦说，完全禁止燃煤是不现实的。煤炭是丰富和相对便宜的燃料。但是他说，新建燃煤电厂数量将会受到限制、而且它们将更加清洁。

“The new coal-fired plants that are being built in America today are much, much leaner than these 40 and 50-year-old plants. Still, even that new coal-fired generation is going to be much more limited because there is so much cheap natural gas," said Holstein.

荷斯坦说：“美国现在新建的燃煤工厂和那些40、50年的工厂相比更加清洁。但是，由于有大量的廉价天然气，新的燃煤电厂数量将很有限。”

Some business and political critics have voiced concerns that the new rules will greatly increase energy costs. But Dominion and many other U.S. power companies say they want to be good environmental stewards¹⁰ and need consistent regulations to make long term investments in cleaner technologies that are both affordable¹¹ and profitable.

一些商界和政界批评人士担心，新的规定将会大幅提升能源价格。但是多米尼恩和许多其他美国电力公司说，他们希望成为优秀的环境捍卫者，并且需要稳定的监管法规，才能对价格合理而又有盈利空间的清洁能源技术进行长期投资。