Dive Brief:

• Duke Energy has proposed moving its problematic coal ash to clay mines being reclaimed in North Carolina, part of the company's ongoing efforts to permanently close ash basins and safely store coal ash generated from its power plants in the state.
• In the first phase of the project Duke would move approximately 5.1 million tons of ash from four sites, representing approximately 30% of the total ash stored there.
• Duke estimated that in addition to 108 million tons of ash in basins across the state, approximately 30 million tons is in landfills and 14 million tons is in other locations on plant property, such as structural fills or dry ash stacks.

Dive Insight:

Duke Energy would use a phased approach to removing coal ash at four North Carolina facilities, and has proposed using ash removed from three of the four sites in first phase in structural fill projects including mine reclamation.

The state's Coal Ash Management Act mandate all basins at those sites must be closed by Aug. 1, 2019. The company said using open-pit clay mines from the brick industry as the location for engineered fills has several advantages, including the reclamation of previously unusable land and faster development timelines than siting a new off-site landfill.

“This milestone reflects Duke Energy’s commitment to moving forward as quickly as practicable in a safe and environmentally sound way to address the enormous task of long-term coal ash storage in North Carolina,” said Lynn Good, president and CEO of Duke Energy. “We are devoted to being good neighbors to the communities we serve and good custodians of our shared environment.”