Duke, Huaneng sign clean energy MoU

The third-largest electric utility in the United States, Duke Energy, and the largest in China, Huaneng Group, have signed a memorandum of understanding to share cleaner emissions technology, Reuters reported. The companies committed to sharing information on cleaner-coal technologies, such as carbon capture and goal gasification. "We both have the scale and mass to push the global industry forward in the development of clean technologies," said Duke spokesman David Scanzoni. Duke has already invested US$17 million in carbon capture studies and intends to spend US$121 million more. Huaneng already has one carbon-capture operation in Beijing and plans to open a second in Shanghai later this year. China and the US rely heavily on fossil fuels such as oil and coal for energy and are the world’s largest carbon emitters.