"Coal Ash Issue Raises Doubts About Future of Duke Plant"

"Regardless of whether Duke keeps the coal turbines at Lake Julian or retires them, the legislation requires it to find a safer way to store the coal ash held in wet ponds at the plant."

"SKYLAND – North Carolina’s new regulations for disposing of coal ash leave Duke Energy with two options at its Lake Julian plant – make fundamental and costly changes or stop burning coal altogether.

The legislation says Duke must stop using water to sluice away ash from coal turbines at the Lake Julian plant no later than the end of 2018. The utility could either shutter the coal turbines or convert to a “dry ash” disposal process, a switch that would require investing millions of dollars.

Environmental groups hope Duke will instead simply stop the coal-burning part of the operation at the plant, which they say is one of the utility’s least efficient."

Mark Barrett reports for the Asheville Citizen-Times September 15, 2014.

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