Duke to build natural gas-fired plant in Asheville

Duke Energy said Tuesday it will shut down its Asheville coal-fired power plant by 2020, replacing it with a larger, $750 million plant fueled by natural gas.

Duke will also spend $320 million to build a transmission substation near Campobello, S.C., just across the state line, and connect it to the Asheville plant with a new, 40-mile transmission line.

The route of the new line has not been selected. It is expected to run through South Carolina’s Greenville and Spartanburg counties and into Buncombe, Henderson and Polk counties in North Carolina.

The Charlotte-based company also will build a solar farm on the site as part of its $1.1 billion plan to modernize and upgrade its infrastructure.

The gas unit will emit 60 percent less carbon dioxide for each megawatt-hour of electricity it generates. But because it will have nearly twice the generating capacity of the two coal units, it’s unclear whether actual carbon emissions will be lower.

Duke has retired seven of its 14 North Carolina coal plants in the past five years. Many older, inefficient plants faced expensive air-pollution updates and Duke was transitioning its fleet toward cheaper, cleaner natural gas.

The gas unit will emit 60 percent less carbon dioxide for each megawatt-hour of electricity it generates. But because it will have nearly twice the generating capacity of the two coal units, it’s unclear whether actual carbon emissions will be lower.

Duke’s announcement comes a week after the company pleaded guilty to nine criminal violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The company admitted guilt to environmental violations at five coal-fired power plants in North Carolina, including Asheville, where pollution from the company’s coal ash pits seeped into waterways.