Duke is proposing to construct a big fossil fuel plant close to Roxboro, North Carolina. This weblog takes a take a look at the present coal plant, the proposed fuel plant, the fuel pipeline provide choices, and whether or not options have been thought-about.
Shelley Robbins | July 19, 2024
| Coal, Fossil Gasoline, North Carolina
Duke Power Progress (DEP) is searching for approval from the North Carolina Utilities Fee (NCUC) to construct, not less than initially, a big (1,360 megawatt) fossil fuel mixed cycle plant close to its current coal-fired Roxboro Steam Electrical Plant in Individual County. This approval is named a Certificates of Public Comfort and Necessity, or CPCN. This proposed plant is a part of Duke Power’s Carbon Plan Built-in Useful resource Planning course of, and you may learn our weblog sequence on the 2024 Duke CPIRP right here.
On this weblog, we’ll check out the present coal plant, the proposed fossil fuel plant, the fuel provide pipeline choices, and potential options.
What energy crops are on the Roxboro website now?
At present, DEP owns and operates a four-unit, 2,462 megawatt (MW) coal-fired steam turbine electrical energy producing station in Individual County. The plant was inbuilt 1966 on the almost 7,000 acres DEP owns on Hyco Lake, about 4.5 miles from the Virginia border. The lake was constructed to function a cooling reservoir for the coal plant. It is likely one of the largest energy crops in the US, however it doesn’t function at full capability any longer. The graph beneath exhibits how the utilization of every of the 4 items has declined since 2010. As well as, the plant has not been a dependable asset just lately. Throughout Winter Storm Elliott, the failure of a coal conveyor belt brought about a lack of 685 MW from Models 1 and a pair of, and Models 3 and 4 additionally misplaced 300 MW. Many fossil coal and fuel items failed throughout Winter Storm Elliott, however the Roxboro plant was the most important plant failure within the Duke system.
Additionally on the DEP property is a big substation with 230 kV transmission traces that carry electrical energy south additional into North Carolina and north into Virginia and into the organized wholesale electrical energy market known as PJM. Of Duke Power’s transmission property, 230 kV traces are the second largest in dimension and capability (after 500 kV traces).
Woodland Elementary Faculty, mentioned extra beneath, is lower than 1.5 miles from the emissions stacks of the coal plant. The stacks are seen from the varsity (see picture beneath).
What’s Duke proposing?
Within the present continuing, DEP is proposing to retire Models 1 and 4 (the oldest unit and the youngest unit, totaling 1,091 MW and proven because the yellow and crimson traces within the graph above) and change them with a 1,360 MW mixed cycle fuel plant to be constructed on an adjoining a part of DEP’s Hyco Lake property. Duke plans for the fuel plant to be accomplished in late 2028, earlier than the coal items could be retired and dismantled in early 2029. Duke additionally plans for a second 1,360 mixed cycle fuel plant to be constructed to interchange Models 2 and three, with this second plant changing into operational in 2030. Nevertheless, the second plant is just not a part of this CPCN software. Along with fuel, the plant may very well be run on gas oil. The plant lifetime is estimated to be 35 years (so till 2063).
The estimated price is confidential proper now, however we estimate it might price round $1.96 billion (supply: SACE calculations utilizing the Nationwide Renewable Power Lab’s Annual Know-how Baseline).
Will a pipeline be wanted?
The fossil fuel gas provide will come from a deliberate new Dominion/PSNC pipeline known as the T15 that can originate from the Williams Transco Interstate Pipeline close to the Dan River in Rockingham County. This T15 pipeline is topic to NCUC approval as effectively, and if authorised, the prices of this pipeline might be “assigned” to DEP ratepayers as effectively, as a result of this pipeline serves just one plant. Value estimates haven’t been shared publicly. At present, Duke doesn’t have an sufficient assured provide of fuel (known as agency transportation, or FT) to fulfill the wants of its current sources. In Appendix Okay of Duke’s CPIRP, the Firm notes that it has agency fuel provide agreements for lower than half of the height demand (or peak burn) of its current fleet. The Firm states “(A)ny new CC technology will necessitate the necessity for extra interstate FT to help these items’ burn necessities.” So along with the T15, Duke has contracted for extra agency fuel provide from each the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate mission and from a proposed Williams Transco enlargement mission known as the Transco Southeast Provide Enhancement. Each of those proposed pipeline initiatives fall underneath the jurisdiction of the Federal Power Regulatory Fee (FERC), and neither of those initiatives have accomplished the approval course of or began building.
Are fuel crops cleaner than coal crops?
Burning fossil fuel (also referred to as methane) to supply electrical energy emits much less carbon dioxide and different air pollution like mercury than coal, however there are nonetheless emissions. Even probably the most environment friendly mixed cycle crops nonetheless emit NOx, SOx, and plenty of different localized pollution into the air. They emit probably the most when they’re ramping (turning the burning of fuel up and down) and when they’re working on gas oil as an alternative of fuel.
The estimated emissions from the fuel plant are summarized on this desk from DEP’s air allow software to the NC Division of Environmental High quality.
The proposed fuel plant website is even nearer (roughly 3,776 toes) to Woodland Elementary Faculty, referenced above within the first part. This college serves greater than 200 kids in kindergarten by way of fifth grade. Roughly 97% of scholars at Woodland Elementary qualify without cost or diminished lunch, in keeping with the varsity profile on GreatSchools.org.
Did Duke consider any clear repowering options, similar to photo voltaic plus storage and transmission choices?
No. Based on testimony filed by the Workplace of Public Employees, “Our investigation didn’t reveal that the Firms took another actions to judge alternate choices aside from constructing Roxboro CC1, and finally CC2.” (Testimony of Evan D. Lawrence and Dustin R. Metz filed in Docket No. E-2 Sub 1318 filed on June 24, 2024, p. 28)
Will the Roxboro fuel plant meet EPA’s greenhouse fuel customary?
Unclear. In April, the EPA finalized guidelines that restrict greenhouse fuel emissions from current coal crops and new fuel crops, together with the one DEP has proposed at Roxboro. The EPA laws would require DEP’s new fuel plant at Roxboro to cut back emissions drastically in 2032, simply 4 years after it began working, or run lower than 40% of the time. Duke has indicated that it’s at present assuming the plant might be transformed to run on 100% hydrogen at that time, which might require retrofits and a supply of hydrogen.
SACE will dive a bit deeper into the Roxboro fuel plant proposal in future posts.
