In a major achievement that puts the coal ash debate to rest in North Carolina, state regulators, community groups and Duke Energy have agreed to a plan to permanently close the company’s remaining nine coal ash basins in the state, primarily by excavation with ash moved to lined landfills.
The agreement announced Jan.3 by Duke Energy, North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) and groups represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) details a reasonable and prudent plan for basin closure that continues to protect people, communities and the environment with a keen focus on investing for the future and our shared clean energy vision. This plan is consistent with the approach Duke Energy is taking to close ash basins in South Carolina and benefits customers and communities in both states.
The plan will reduce the total estimated cost to close the nine basins by about $1.5 billion, as compared to the April 1, 2019, NCDEQ order requirin
