United States’ President Barack Obama is set to launch a new energy programme to cut greenhouse gas emissions as part of his ongoing bid to combat climate change.

The Clean Power Plan is designed to reduce GHG emissions from US power stations and the programme will focus on renewable energy sources including wind and solar power.

Power stations are the largest source of GHGs in the US and coal-fired power currently generate more than a third of the country’s electricity supply.

The new plan aims to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector by 32 per cent by 2030, compared with 2005 levels.

Each state in the US will be set an emissions reduction target and will be required to submit proposals to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how the goals will be achieved.