Duke Energy has released a statement regarding initial ash basin classifications issued by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), stating that it is interested in “understanding how the state is balancing the requirements of the Coal Ash Management Act (CAMA) to ensure the environment is well protected without unnecessary cost and impact to customers and communities.”
The company also commented that it plans to participate fully throughout the process and that it has made “strong progress” in closing basins in an environmentally conscious manner.
Recent work conduced by Duke Energy has included the following:
- Continued ash excavation from the Asheville Plant N.C. and initial excavating at Cliffside Steam Station (Mooresboro, N.C.), Dan River Steam Station (Eden, N.C.), Riverbend Steam Station (Mount Holly, N.C.), Sutton Plant (Wilmington, N.C) and W.S. Lee Steam Station (Belton, S.C.) to fully lined, permanent solutions.
- Submittal of comprehensive groundwater assessments to NCDEQ for each of the 14 coal plants in the state.
- Announced plans to build fully lined on-site landfills at the Dan River Steam Station (Eden, N.C.), Robinson Plant (Hartsville, S.C.), Sutton Plant (Wilmington, N.C.) and W.S. Lee Steam Station (Belton, S.C.).
- Announced that the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is conducting a comprehensive study of the coal ash recycling market and available technologies.
- Announced plans to retire the coal-fired Asheville Plant (Asheville, N.C.) in four to five years and modernise Duke Energy's generation and transmission system in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina – significantly reducing environmental impacts, improving system reliability and minimising long-term costs to customers.
Edited from press release by Angharad Lock