Although the company says it has no current plans to build, Duke Energy Carolinas recently took the first step needed to open a 750-megawatt natural gas-fired combined cycle plant at the existing Lee Steam Station in Anderson County.
An application was filed for a certificate of environmental compatibility with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) on Oct. 24 in partnership with North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC), which would be a minority owner of 100 megawatts of the project if constructed.
“The energy needs of our customers are significant over the next 15 years,” said Clark Gillespy, Duke Energy president South Carolina in a statement. “Our commitment is to meet our customers’ needs in a way that balances affordable, reliable and increasingly clean electricity, and this project will help us satisfy that need.”
The company said natural gas-fired combined cycle plants are a good match to meet needed base and intermediate load demands because of their high efficiency and flexibility. Their emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are very low, and natural gas emits about half the carbon dioxide as coal.
A combined cycle unit uses combustion turbine generators, boilers and a steam turbine generator to produce electricity.
Construction could begin after the company receives the necessary regulatory approvals. The new plant could begin commercial operation as early as June 2017, adding up to 500 jobs during the peak of construction, the company said.
