Big Oil, Major Firms Plan for Carbon Price

Walmart, BP, ExxonMobil, General Electric and about two dozen other major US companies have already integrated a price on carbon emissions into their long-term business plans, according to a CDP report.

In 2013, 28 companies based or operating in the US disclosed that they use an internal carbon price in their financial planning, CDP says. This includes nine energy companies and eight utilities.

ExxonMobil is assuming a cost of $60 per metric ton (see chart) by 2030 while BP and Shell use $40 per metric ton. Microsoft began charging its business groups an internal carbon fee associated with the use of electricity and business air travel July 1, at the start of the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

All of the companies that disclose using an internal carbon price are: Delphi Automotive, Walt Disney, ConAgra Foods, Walmart, Apache Corporation, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy, ExxonMobil, Hess, Shell, Wells Fargo, Cummins, Delta Air Lines, General Electric, Google, Jabil Circuit, Microsoft, E.I du Pont de Nemours, Ameren, American Electrical Power, CMS Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy, Integrys Energy, PG&E and Xcel Energy.

Meanwhile, California companies paid about $297 million to release carbon emissions at the state’s most recent cap-and-trade auction in November and PetroChina, the state-owned oil and gas company, bought 10,000 Chinese carbon offsets from wind power producer Longyuan last month for 16 yuan ($2.62) each — six times higher than international carbon prices.