High Voltage Maintenance Training Online
Our customized live online or in‑person group training can be delivered to your staff at your location.
- Live Online
- 12 hours Instructor-led
- Group Training Available
Sutton Plant explosion during maintenance on a coal-fired unit's generator at Progress Energy Carolinas' 600-MW power plant; no fire, no public danger, and a multi-agency safety investigation underway amid plans for combined-cycle replacement.
Inside the Issue
Fatal generator blast during maintenance at Progress Energy's Sutton plant; no fire or public danger; probe ongoing.
- Employee fatality during generator maintenance.
- Unit 1 offline; work on generator underway.
- No fire; no public danger reported.
- Multi-agency investigation coordinated.
Cory Rogers, 24, a technician at Progress Energy’s Sutton Plant near Wilmington, North Carolina, was killed following an explosion that occurred at the site.
The employee was performing maintenance on one of the plant’s three coal-fired units at the facility. The unit was offline at the time.
The company is coordinating an criminal probe into the accident with local, state and federal officials and will communicate more details as they become available. There was no fire as a result of the explosion, and there is no danger to the public.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family right now,” said Charlie Gates, vice-president of Power Generation for Progress Energy Carolinas. “We also have lost a member of our Progress Energy family due to this tragic event. This is a difficult time for all of us.”
The 600-megawatt MW Sutton Plant includes three coal units built in 1954, 1955 and 1972. The explosion occurred while work was being performed on the generator for Unit 1.
In 2009, Progress Energy announced its plan to retire the Sutton Plant’s three coal-fired units and build a 620-MW combined-cycle power plant amid utility building plans at the Sutton site.
The new plant is scheduled to begin operating in 2014. Site preparations have started, but major construction has not begun.
Related News
Related News
Cost, safety drive line-burying decisions at Tucson Electric Power
Japanese utilities buy into vast offshore wind farm in UK
TransAlta brings online 119 MW of wind power in US
UK net zero policies: What do changes mean?
Ukraine Resumes Electricity Exports
A new approach finds materials that can turn waste heat into electricity
Sign Up for Electricity Forum’s Newsletter
Stay informed with our FREE Newsletter — get the latest news, breakthrough technologies, and expert insights, delivered straight to your inbox.
Electricity Today T&D Magazine Subscribe for FREE
- Timely insights from industry experts
- Practical solutions T&D engineers
- Free access to every issue