Employee dies in coal plant explosion

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.

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.

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