Duke It Out

Duke Energy will build likely its last coal plant in North Carolina

Posted at 4:30 PM on 30 Jan 2008

Well, we've got good news and bad news: North Carolina air-quality officials have granted Duke Energy a permit for a new coal plant (boo) in what Duke Carolinas President Ellen Ruff says is "very likely the last coal plant you'll see coming from Duke" in the Carolinas (rah!). The permit stipulates that four older Duke coal plants in the state be retired before the new one goes online, the idea being that total emissions will not increase. "What we are signaling through these actions is our intention to reduce our carbon footprint and our openness to the public for ideas on how to do this," says Ruff. Oddly enough, two-thirds of the 1,865 written public comments received about the new plant were negative, and environmental groups may challenge the permit in court.

sources: The Charlotte Observer, Asheville Citizen-Times, The News & Observer, Reuters

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Comments: (7 comments)

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Good News

I'm all for new coal plants -- if:

They replace older, dirtier, coal plants. The current mercury and sulfur dioxide emissions are a national disgrace.
They produce more electricity per unit of coal burned then existing old plants, reducing our carbon footprint.

If you can't get a glass completely full, it's better to half full then totally empty.

by nycowboy at 12:21 PM on 31 Jan 2008

Acceptable...

...Though I'd rather they use renewables and shut down the other four plants, this current plan is acceptable, 'specially considerin' that CO2 emissions overall are not to increase and this will be the last coal plant the company ever builds.

by Tasermons Partner at 12:49 PM on 31 Jan 2008

Not Acceptable

How are ANY more coal plants acceptable when they cause major environmental and ecological from mining (do you know about mountaintop mining -the worst form of mining -- in the southeast, mostly West Virginia?) and massive air pollution?

Earth First! had it right; "No Compromise in Defense of Mother Earth!" Humans have already destroyed most of the planet, and any additional destruction is NOT acceptable.

by Wolverine at 10:26 AM on 03 Feb 2008

Then What Should Happen

If a new coal-fired plant should not be built to meet the growing electrical demand, what should we do?

by gbin2000 at 6:46 AM on 08 Apr 2008

We don't need coal...

If a new coal-fired plant should not be built to meet the growing electrical demand, what should we do?

Easy. use clean renewable energy instead. There's more than enough to meet everybody's needs if we develop it properly, 'specially with energy conservation in mind.

Texas alone has added nearly 5,000 MW of wind energy in just the past two years, and there's room for plenty more.

The Dakotas alone have enough wind energy for the continent. And then there's solar, geothermal, landfill gas, tidal, and other renewables.

We don't need coal.

by Tasermons Partner at 8:44 AM on 08 Apr 2008

Why isn't it being done?

Thanks for the reply. Can I ask for the sources for the Texas and Dakota information?

Would environmentalist want wind towers all over the Dakotas? I have passed the farm in central Illinois (I think the town is Paw Paw) and that is weird seeing the towers for miles.

Thanks!

by gbin2000 at 6:54 PM on 08 Apr 2008
[ Parent ]

Tower trivia...

Thanks for the reply. Can I ask for the sources for the Texas and Dakota information?

Here are a few sources (most from the American Wind Energy Association):
http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/AWEA_Market_Release ...

http://www.awea.org/projects/

http://www.awea.org/newsroom/pdf/Top_20_States_with_Wind_ ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_Sta ...

Probably not over the entire Dakotas, no. That was just to give an example of much potential renewable enrgy there is available. Luckily, many states have wind potential, so the towers can be spread out some.

Here in Texas, we have tens of thousands of towers, many of which are bunched together and can go on for miles.

It is a little weird seein' 'em up close at first, but ya get used to it quickly. Not much different than havin' a new cell-phone tower put up (actually, I think they look much nicer than most cell-phone towers).

And they look much better than a smokestacks from a coal or gas plant, or the cooling tower of a nuclear reactor.

by Tasermons Partner at 6:54 PM on 09 Apr 2008

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