Duke Energy will close six coal ash sites and removing more than 80 million tons of ash. | Stock Photo
Duke Energy will close six coal ash sites and removing more than 80 million tons of ash. | Stock Photo
Six coal ash site closure plans have been approved by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, which will require coal ash to be removed.
The plans were approved after meeting the Coal Ash Management Act requirements, the Department of Environmental Quality said in an Aug. 18 news release. The plans also supply protection to the environment and public health of the area.
The six sites set to close are Belews Creek Steam Station, Buck Combined Cycle Station, Roxboro Steam Electric Plant, Cape Fear Power Station, H.F. Lee Energy Complex and Weatherspoon Power Plant. Additional details about the sites and plans are available on a web page created for the projects.
Duke Energy will be required to excavate coal ash, which amounts to more than 80 million tons, the department said in the release.
“Roxboro and Belews Creek will be subject to additional protective measures for specific sections of impoundments that will remain under existing permitted landfills or structural fills,” the department said in the release. “The closure plans for Buck, Cape Fear, H.F. Lee and Weatherspoon facilities – known as beneficiation sites – require that the excavated coal ash will be removed and recycled for use in cement products.”
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