Maximum controls to be used at Cliffside

subscribe

Duke Energy Corp. said it will perform a technology assessment to make sure it is using the "maximum achievable" air emission controls at a new coal-fired generator under construction in western North Carolina.

The announcement from the Charlotte-based utility comes nearly two weeks after the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources said Duke must use such stringent standards to control mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.

Duke's decision is the latest development in the company's journey to build a new 800-megawatt unit at its Cliffside Steam Station, about 50 miles west of Charlotte. Duke has said the plant will be among the cleanest in the country, but environmental groups and other opponents argue the $2.4 billion project violates federal law.

Environmental groups, which have been fighting to halt the project for months, said Friday's announcement was a step in the right direction.

"I think it's certainly to Duke Energy's credit that they are not contesting it," said Molly Diggins, state director for the North Carolina Sierra Club. "However, under the Clean Air Act, we believe Duke Energy is required to stop construction."

Duke said it will file an assessment with the state by the end of June. Diggins said she is skeptical the company could complete an adequate analysis by the end of the month, arguing such a full analysis typically takes six months to a year to complete.

The Division of Air Quality approved the air quality permit for the generator in January, and Duke started construction on the facility began the next day.

In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act when it scrapped a policy that required utilities to install the best available technology to capture mercury.

Several environmental groups filed a lawsuit based on the decision, asking a federal judge to halt the project. They argued the ruling means the state permit was issued illegally.

When the new generator opens in 2012, Duke has said it will close four of its five older coal-fired units at Cliffside. The five plants now emit about 157 pounds of mercury a year. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that can damage the developing brains of fetuses and very young children.

Duke said it would also take additional steps to make the new Cliffside unit carbon-neutral by 2018, a step that is not required under state or federal law.

Related News

us energy support

Energy Security Support to Ukraine

WASHINGTON - In the midst of Russia’s continued brutal attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Secretary of State Blinken announced today during a meeting of the G7+ on the margins of the NATO Ministerial in Bucharest that the United States government is providing over $53 million to support acquisition of critical electricity grid equipment. This equipment will be rapidly delivered to Ukraine on an emergency basis to help Ukrainians persevere through the winter. This supply package will include distribution transformers, circuit breakers, surge arresters, disconnectors, vehicles and other key equipment.

This new assistance is in addition to $55 million in emergency energy…

READ MORE
uk-energy-transition-stalled-by-supply-delays

UK's Energy Transition Stalled by Supply Delays

READ MORE

power transformer heat use

National Grid and SSE to use electrical transformers to heat homes

READ MORE

alberta energy prices to soar

Experts warn Albertans to lock in gas and electricity rates as prices set to soar

READ MORE

Paying for electricity in India

Paying for electricity in India: Power theft can't be business as usual

READ MORE