Powering Past Coal Alliance: private sector participation

Scientific evidence shows that health effects of air pollution from burning coal, including respiratory diseases and premature deaths, impose massive costs in both human and economic terms. In addition to health considerations, phasing out unabated coal power is one of the most important steps governments can take to tackle climate change and meet our commitment to keep global temperature increase well below 2° C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5° C.

The PPCA Declaration states that:

• All members commit to supporting clean power through their policies (whether public or corporate, as appropriate) and investments, as well as restricting financing for members coal power stations without operational carbon capture and storage.
• Government members commit to phasing out existing unabated coal power and placing a moratorium on any new unabated coal power stations without operational carbon capture and storage, within their jurisdictions.
• Business and other non-government members commit to powering their operations without coal and to support the phase-out of unabated coal from the power sector. The implementation of these commitments would depend on the nature of your business.

1. Large consumers of electricity would commit to:
   Powering their operations without unabated coal-fired electricity. Recognizing that businesses must often connect to the grid in countries that still use coal, fulfilling this commitment can take the form of clean electricity contracts with utilities, Power Purchase Agreements that exclude coal, or the purchase of clean electricity certificates for a company’s operations.  For example, commitments such as those made under the RE100 renewable electricity initiative would enable a company to be a member of the Alliance.
2. Electricity suppliers or generators would commit to:
   Phasing out unabated coal-fired power stations from their asset base within a timeframe compatible with the Paris Agreement, and not building new unabated coal-fired power stations without operational carbon capture and storage.
3. Investors would commit to:
   Restricting financing to existing unabated coal fired power stations to promote their phase-out within a timeframe compatible with the Paris Agreement, and restricting finance to new unabated coal fired power stations without operational carbon capture and storage.

Members are kept up to speed with the activities of the Alliance through a nominated point of contact. Members are encouraged to be actively engaged in the work of the PPCA as they see fit, including by participating in regular membership calls and meetings, by participating in the Alliance’s Taskforces, and by engaging with other potential members with whom they have ties.

Private sector members can bring a number of other positive benefits to the work of the Alliance. They can:

• Support the use of clean power and renewable energy through their operations, policies and investments.
• Develop corporate clean energy plans, targets and commitments.
• Develop corporate policies that are supportive of the objectives of the Alliance, and communicating publically the benefits of these policies.
• Create networks of like-minded businesses with regular peer exchanges.

Yes, members are encouraged to use the Alliance’s material to:

• Promote the work of the Alliance – through speeches, industry events or via your social media channels (@pastcoal, #PoweringPastCoal).
• Disseminate real-world examples and best practices, and share experiences and practical initiatives on how to stop relying on coal.
• Encourage other industries and subsidiaries to join the Alliance.

Joining the Alliance is a voluntary commitment for national, sub-national, and private sector actors. The PPCA will not establish legal requirements but rather celebrate what is already possible, and help others achieve their goals. Organizations that associate themselves with the declaration are expected to undertake their own due diligence to make sure that their activities are aligned with the commitments outlined in the PPCA Declaration.

Prospective members are asked to send an email to secretariat@poweringpastcoal.org, outlining the following information:

1. Confirmation of your organization’s commitment to the goals of the PPCA, including a few short points to highlight what your organization is doing to support coal phase-out.
2. The name and title of the head of your government who is authorized to commit to the goals outlined in the PPCA Declaration.
3. The name of a contact person with whom the Secretariat can share news and information about meetings, events, announcements, etc. It is important to keep members informed and engaged as the Alliance grows.

Our staff will communicate with your nominated contact to identify the most suitable event or moment to publicly announce your membership.