New $2.2 billion Duke Energy coal plant toured Monday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Eyewitness News got an up-close look at the new $2.2 billion Duke Energy coal plant that Duke wants ratepayers to help pay for as part of its current rate increase request.

Customers are already paying for some of the plant; Duke officials said this rate request, which figures in $863 million for the Cliffside coal plant in Mooresboro, N.C., would pay for the rest of it.

"It's a power plant built to serve our customers," spokesperson Lisa Parrish said.

Duke Energy wants to raise residential rates 11.8 percent, costing the average customer who uses 1,000 kilowatts of electricity per month about $14.27 more.

Duke Energy officials said these kinds of upgrades allowed them to retire four older units at Cliffside.

They said the plant now generates more electricity while burning less coal and showed Eyewitness News the equipment they said reduces sulfur dioxide emissions by 99 percent and fly ash emissions by more than 99.9 percent.

"That's what makes this facility so sophisticated and so environmentally friendly," Parrish said.

The sulfur is captured in what's called a scrubber. It combines with lime in the scrubber to form synthetic gypsum, which can be used.

But the ash goes to a landfill until Duke can find a way to reuse it.

Greenpeace argues that coal plants emit carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.

"They say they're no such thing as clean coal," Eyewitness News said.

"We need to have a diversity of energy resources in our portfolio," Parrish said.

Duke Energy said there is no commercial technology available to remove carbon dioxide and there are no regulations that require its removal or control on existing units yet.

It said it is reducing carbon emissions by retiring units 1-4 and retiring other coal units.

But some customers, like Pam McVey, would like to see Duke spend more on its renewable energy, like solar and wind.

"Stop digging in the earth for all the coal that's there," McVey said.

Others, like Janene Duverger, are frustrated with the price tag.

"You would hope that they could have done it cheaper," she said. "It makes you upset because everyone is watching every penny that they have around here."

WSOC