Lake Norman neighbors say 'no' to proposed Duke Energy gas plant near them

At least 60 Lake Norman neighbors have emailed state regulators urging them to reject Duke Energy's plans for two natural gas turbines on their winding, tree-lined, two-lane road in Catawba County.

Residents along Island Point Road in Sherrills Ford have peppered the North Carolina Public Utilities Commission in recent months with emails of concern about emissions, noise and construction traffic, according to an examination by the Charlotte Observer emails from the public in the case.

The proposed combustion turbines would replace two coal-fired units at Duke Energy's Marshall Steam Station, which opened in 1965 as a coal-fired power plant along N.C. 150 in Terrell on the Lake.

The turbines would be located on 20 acres of the Marshall property, about 1.25 miles northeast of the coal units, company spokesman Bill Norton said. A natural gas pipeline used by the current units would serve the turbines, he said. The current units can operate by burning coal or natural gas to generate electricity.

The utility proposed the natural gas turbines in a 2023 update to its carbon dioxide reduction plan, The (Raleigh) News & Observer previously reported.

Duke Energy says it needs the turbines to maintain reliability while eliminating coal production, the N&O reported, while critics say the new turbines would also release unnecessary greenhouse gases.

Regulators at the NC Utilities Commission would have to approve a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the turbines, and Duke would need an air quality permit from the NC Department of Environmental Quality.

Why here? residents ask

The turbines would produce electricity in a much cleaner and more efficient way than the two coal-fired units that are now being phased out, Norton said.

Nitrogen oxide emissions will be reduced by 82% and sulfur dioxide emissions by 92%, he said.

“As we did with the existing coal plant, we will use the best available technology to reduce emissions,” Norton said. “We will comply with all state and federal regulations to ensure the protection of our neighbors and the environment.”

Duke Energy officials addressed residents' concerns at a Northview Harbor homeowners association meeting June 19. Northview Harbor is a community of 290 homes located off Island Point Road, near the lake and the planned entrance to the future power plant.

A map in a Duke Energy fact sheet distributed to residents shows “the enormous amount of forest buffer remaining between the plant and the neighborhood,” Norton said.

Northview Harbor resident Joe Goode told the Charlotte Observer Friday that he and his neighbors understand the need for Duke Energy to move away from coal. Like everyone else, he and his wife, Jodi, were well aware of Marshall Steam Station when the couple moved into the development four years ago, he said.

“We didn’t expect this to be brought to our door,” the recent retiree said.

Concern for children

In her June 21 email to the North Carolina Public Utilities Commission, Jodi Goode also cited another safety concern many other residents mentioned in their emails: children.

Cars back up at the lights at Sherrills Ford Road and Island Point Road each morning and afternoon when parents drop off and pick up their children at Sherrills Ford Elementary School, they said.

“The addition of this Duke plant will make this intersection a dangerous nightmare to maneuver,” Jodi Goode said in her email. “Why they would install a plant that will emit methane and nitrous oxide so close to a school and residents is unacceptable. »

Residents also expressed concerns about evacuation in the event of an emergency at the plant. Their neighborhoods are located farther down Island Point Road from the proposed entrance to the plant, and Island Point is a one-way road, they said. The road begins at Sherrills Ford Road and ends at the lake.

Danica Martens and Dustin Henis told the commission they were concerned the quietness of their Northview Harbour neighbourhood “won't continue to be the case.”

Noise response, evacuation concerns

Traffic will increase during construction of the plant, Norton said, but Duke will deliver its heaviest loads to the plant by rail and take other measures to reduce traffic.

“We'll try to reduce traffic as much as humanly possible,” Jeff Flanagan, general manager of Marshall Steam Station, said in an interview with the Observer on Wednesday.

Norton said that once the coal plant is removed and demolished, “station traffic will be lower than current levels and we will no longer need to transport coal by rail to the site.”

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will have to approve entry to the plant, he said.

“While the exact location has not yet been determined, regardless of where the final entrance is located, the company will install a turn lane to help manage traffic,” Norton said.

Regarding drainage issues, Norton said Duke is monitoring the environment around Marshall “to ensure that neighbors and the environment are not negatively impacted by our operations.”

Addressing residents' concerns about 24/7 wind turbine noise, Norton said construction noises “will be similar to the activity level of the existing plant.”

Duke's filing for the certificate of public convenience and necessity includes “a thorough, in-depth study with many data points,” Norton said.

Company officials shared the study's key findings at the June 19 HOA meeting: “Even the closest neighbor to the proposed plant would hear only a slight increase over the noise from the existing plant, and the noise will have no impact on human or animal health.”

Duke will also leave a “significant buffer of trees” between neighbors and the plant, he said.

Electricity production

The turbines would produce enough electricity – 850 megawatts – to power about 700,000 homes, Norton told the Charlotte Observer.

Marshall's coal units scheduled for retirement produce 760 megawatts, Norton said. The excess turbine capacity will help accommodate “significant growth in the region,” he added.

The turbines will also be “the most efficient in our fleet,” Norton said, reaching full load in about 10 to 15 minutes, compared with more than 12 hours for the 60-year-old coal-fired units.

With the turbines, Duke can better handle sudden drops in solar production, especially during unexpected storms that are common in the summer, Norton said.

Replacing Marshall's coal-fired units “will also prevent more than 100,000 tons of additional coal ash each year from being stored in the on-site landfill,” he said.

“We are committed to reinvesting in our coal-fired communities, creating local jobs and a continued tax base for decades to come,” he said.

Businesses and government leaders want a new factory

Working with Catawba County Executive Mary Furtado, leaders of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation, the Catawba County Chamber and Catawba Valley Community College emailed letters of support for Duke Energy's projects to the NC Utilities Commission.

On February 5, Catawba County Commissioners approved a resolution support the project.

Charlotte's growth has led to a “boon for residential development” in Catawba County, wrote Scott Millar, president of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation.

Duke's plan “is extremely important to meeting the needs of our community's continued economic and population growth,” Millar wrote.

New factory construction schedule

If the commission approves the project in the coming months, Duke plans to begin construction in late 2026 and put the units into service in 2028, Norton said.

That timeline would be ahead of the planned retirement of the Marshall 1 and 2 coal units by the end of 2028, he said.

“For reliability reasons, new generation must be online and serving customers before the coal units are retired,” Norton said.

NC Reality Check reflects the Charlotte Observer’s commitment to holding those in power accountable, highlighting public issues that affect our local readers and illuminating the stories that make the Charlotte region and North Carolina stand out. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email [email protected]