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Edison International is committed to reducing our impact on one of the world's most precious resources—air. Each facility is given the responsibility to manage their air permits and to develop strategies to continuously improve their performance. Our primary focus has been on reducing power plant pollutants such as NOX, SO2, particulates, and toxic materials, especially mercury. We endorse comprehensive, cost effective regulatory approaches and the use of flexible market mechanisms to address these pollutants.
Clearing the Air in the US
A case in point, after acquiring coal-fired plants in the late '90s, Edison Mission Energy voluntarily committed to significant enhancements of pollution control equipment for facilities in the United States, including flue gas desulfurization, low NOX burners over-fire air and selective catalytic reduction technologies.
Edison Mission Energy's subsidiary, Midwest Generation, is taking a leadership role among independent power producers and is in the midst of a multi-year project to install pollution control equipment to lower emissions from their coal-fired assets.
Technological Advancement
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began a comprehensive review of the potential impact of mercury emissions from power plants, Midwest Generation—the U.S.-based subsidiary of Edison Mission Group that operates coal & gas-fired electricity generating stations in Illinois and western Pennsylvania—worked with the U.S. Department of Energy and private companies to identify promising technologies to reduce these emissions. One of the DOE co-funded projects was managed by the Electric Power Research Institute (“EPRI”) and tested novel mercury sorbents at Midwest Generation’s Powerton Station. A second project conducted by the EERC and jointly funded by the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (“NETL”), focused on mercury speciation testing at a number of sites owned by Midwest Generation.
Looking to Electric Transportation
Moving beyond just power plant emissions,  Edison International has focused on reducing emissions from transportation sources since the 1980s. Southern California Edison maintains an extensive fleet of electric vehicles and has been assisting customers in testing and operating various zero-emission, electro-drive technologies. They also conduct third-party testing and demonstration projects at their EV Technology Center located in Rosemead, California.
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