(The Center Square) – Once slated for 2035 retirement, energy reliability through modernization of two dual-fuel plants in North Carolina will extend their lifespan to at least 2040.
Owned by Duke Energy Carolinas, the investment at Belews Creek Steam Station in the Stokes County community of Sauratown Township is part of a six-project package valued at $175 million. Various components will be upgraded, addressing reliability and availability, says the U.S. Department of Energy.
There is expected to be an increase in generation capacity from 2,220 megawatts. Both plants can burn coal and natural gas. Duke Energy last month filed necessary permits for evaluating future small modular nuclear reactors use on the site.
“For years, previous administrations targeted America’s coal industry and the workers who power our country, forcing the premature closure of reliable plants, and driving up electricity costs,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in the announcement. “President Trump has ended the war on American coal and is restoring common-sense energy policy. These investments will keep America’s coal plants operating, keep costs low for Americans, and ensure we have the reliable power needed to keep the lights on and power our future.”
Other projects are for the Appalachian Power Co. in Letart and Winfield, W. Va.; Buckeye Power Inc. in Brilliant, Ohio; Kentucky Utilities Corp. in Ghent, Ky.; Monongahela Power Co. in Maidsville, W. Va.; and Ohio Valley Electric Corp. in Cheshire, Ohio.
Wright’s department says these projects are within a $525 million investment in coal that uses infrastructure already built and connected to the nation’s grid.
The department said, “Modernizing existing plants provides one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to deliver reliable power while preserving high-wage energy jobs, particularly across Appalachian communities that have long powered the nation.”
In response, the Natural Resources Defense Council said through President and CEO Manish Bapna, “The 19th century called, and it wants its fuel source back. While Americans are demanding clean, affordable energy, the Trump administration is using our tax dollars to prop up the nation’s dirtiest, least efficient power plants.
“It’s no wonder fossil fuel lobbyists are handing Trump an award today. Trump asked them for campaign cash and promised to return the favor – and now he is. The rest of us are left to pay the price: more heart disease and asthma attacks, higher utility bills, and more frequent unnatural disasters. This is a raw deal for our wallets, our health, and our future.”
