This Thursday, the North Carolina Utilities Commission will hold a public hearing to gather feedback on Duke Energy’s plans to build the first of two new methane gas power plants near its existing coal plant on Hyco Lake in Person County.
This Thursday, the North Carolina Utilities Commission will hold a public hearing to gather feedback on Duke Energy’s plans to build the first of two new methane gas power plants near its existing coal plant on Hyco Lake in Person County.
Four rules finalized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency late last month will limit pollution from power plants — reducing climate-altering emissions, protecting the health of nearby communities and speeding the transition to renewable energy.
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a suite of new rules to limit a range of harmful pollutants from power plants, protecting the climate and human health, and pushing utilities toward cleaner, more reliable ways to meet energy demand, including investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Amid an alarming set of proposals for an extensive methane gas expansion across North Carolina, Duke Energy wants to convert its coal-fired power plant on Hyco Lake in Person County, known as the Roxboro Steam Station, to a combined-cycle methane gas power plant.
On Dec. 24, 2022, as Winter Storm Elliot bore down on North Carolina and Tennessee, problems at fossil-fuel power plants and high electricity demand led Duke Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority to shut off power for millions with rolling blackouts. But it didn’t have to be this way.
Duke Energy is the largest electricity provider in North Carolina, and we believe Duke is not doing enough to help with increasing renewable energy in the state or keeping energy bills low for all customers.
PSE Healthy Energy’s report shows that it’s not necessary for Duke Energy to wait for another emergency situation or just build more electricity generation because “targeted investments in weatherization, energy efficient appliances and demand response programs can keep demand lower and more stable in cold temperatures, and prevent another blackout.”
The argument for methane gas relies heavily on outdated models that inflate the cost-effectiveness of the fuel. Replacing coal with renewable energy is now cheaper than replacing coal with continued fossil fuel use.
While many organizations, including Appalachian Voices, released initial statements when the Carbon Plan was finalized, there is a lot to unpack in the 137-page document. Specifically, its release is riding on the coattails of Duke Energy’s proposed rate increases and rolling blackouts due to the failures of fossil fuels.
In Walnut Cove — a community whose history has been tainted by coal ash for decades — The Lilies Project has turned coal ash into art, and is expanding to encompass the town’s story beyond coal ash.