Duke Energy gets final approval for plan to close all coal ash basins in N.C.
Duke Energy got final approval from North Carolina state regulators on a plan to permanently close all of the company’s remaining coal ash basins in the state.
The plan is to excavate nearly 80 million tons of coal ash at six facilities. State officials said it will be the largest coal ash cleanup in U.S. history. Further, the approval settles legal disputes between Duke and environmental and community groups.
North Carolina Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway approved of the plan. He entered into the record a consent order offered by the company, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the Southern Environmental Law Center that resolves the pending legal disputes over ash basin closure plans.
“We are very pleased to bring this matter to a close and fully focus on building the cleaner energy future our customers want and deserve. The landmark agreement between Duke Energy, the environmental regulator and environmental community enjoys support across North Carolina and serves as a powerful example of what’s possible when we work together to protect people and the environment while managing costs,” Duke Energy officials said in a statement.
The coal ash has been stored in landfills, some near waterways, and the concern is that some of the toxins could leach into the water. Duke Energy agreed to remove coal ash from six plant sites and place it into lined landfills. Under the plan, almost 80 million tons of ash will be excavated from the remaining sites. In January, the company estimated that the plan would reduce the total cost to close the basins by about $1.5 billion.
The estimated total undiscounted cost to permanently close all ash basins in the Carolinas is now approximately $8 billion to $9 billion, of which roughly $2.4 billion has been spent through 2019, the company said. Most of the remaining expenditures are expected to occur over the next 15-20 years.
