EDEN, N.C., April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) today celebrated the opening of the Dan River Natural Gas Combined Cycle Station in Eden, N.C.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130322/CL81938LOGO )
Located in Rockingham County, the state-of-the-art plant has an electric capacity of 620 megawatts (MW).
The new station is part of the company's modernization effort to retire older, less-efficient coal plants and replace them with cleaner-burning natural gas-fueled units – resulting in decreased emissions and higher efficiency. Capable of powering approximately a half-million homes, the natural gas combined-cycle plant has nearly double the capacity of the older coal units that were retired on the site in 2012.
Nearly 100 community and state leaders and project partners attended the ceremony, including Eden Mayor John Grogan and Keith Mabe, chairman of the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners.
"It's great to be part of this event today marking the opening of this new advanced-technology facility, said Paul Newton, president of Duke Energy North Carolina. "The Dan River Plant represents the overall plans of Duke Energy to invest in our communities and install new state-of-the-art power generation that will provide safe, reliable and increasingly clean energy for North Carolina."
Video of today's event is available at: http://www.youtube.com/user/DukeEnergyMediaCtr
Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 20,000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.
Contact: Erin Culbert
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SOURCE Duke Energy