Duke Energy Abandons Plans For Fracked NG Peak Power Plant For Asheville Market
ASHEVILLE — Duke Energy's plan to build a more than $100 million plant at Lake Julian to accommodate increased electricity production during peak demand times now will be on hold for at least 15 years.
The gas-fired plant — which would have been used to ensure electricity production during increased consumption, particularly in the winter — was proposed by Duke because of a projected increase in energy usage in the growing Asheville area. Originally slated to build in 2023, it now has removed the plant from its list of future projects.
That means the company has no plans to build the 190-megawatt peaker plant until at least 2032. The plant would have primarily used hydraulic fracked natural gas — largely from Texas, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma — in times of high demand as part of the company's combined utilities in Western North Carolina.
If electrical demand at peak times starts to grow again, however, Duke may reconsider the project. "But I'm also here to make a call to action and say we're not done yet," said Jason Walls, Duke's spokesman. "And we're going to be at the table with this community each and every step of the way."
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https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/04/18/duke-energy-planned-peaker-plant-lake-julian-put-hold-asheville-buncombe-wnc/3498222002/
