Xcel execs call Biden's 2035 clean-energy goal tough, but do not dismiss it

摘要

Xcel Energy Inc. executives cautioned on Jan. 28 that US President JoeBiden's aspiration for a carbon-free grid by 2035 requires majortechnological advancements in the power sector, but did not dismissthe possibility of achieving the benchmark.Xcel was the first major US utility to set a carbon-free power goal.The company made waves in December 2018 when it announced agoal for a carbon-free power fleet by midcentury. A coalition of threeWestern environmental groups called it "the most ambitiouscommitment to climate action of any power company in the country."Since that time utilities across the nation have made decarbonizationinto a core strategy as the falling cost of renewable energy has helpedpush coal out of markets.