Sierra Club organizes protest against Duke Energy peaking unit

Duke Energy power plant at Lake Julian. Photo provided by the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club has announced a protest for Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Buncombe County Courthouse to speak against Duke’s application to build a third gas power plant at the Lake Julian plant for peak loads in the Asheville area.

 

From a Sierra Club notification:

Duke Energy just applied to replace the retiring Asheville coal plant with three gas units, along with smaller investments in solar and energy storage.

While the investment in energy storage is game-changing, the solar investments are too small, the gas investments too large and will keep us reliant on fossil fuels for decades to come.

Duke Energy has stated that it wants to avoid building a third natural gas unit by helping our community use less electricity and use it smarter. By asking the commission now to approve a project that might be needed in 2023, Duke is betting against its own success.

Written comments can be mailed to:
Chief Clerk’s Office,
4325 Mail Service Center,
Raleigh, NC 27699–4300

Comments can also be emailed to:
statements@ncuc.net

Please include docket number
E-2 Sub 1089

To read more or to submit a comment through the Sierra Club’s website, follow this link.

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About Virginia Daffron
Managing editor, lover of mountains, native of WNC. Follow me @virginiadaffron

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