Duke Energy held a community workshop Thursday at Hillcrest Baptist Church in York to answer questions and share information with residents about planning for the proposed William States Lee III Nuclear Station in Cherokee County. A Duke Energy community workshop drew a heavy turnout Thursday from residents interested in more information about plans for a nuclear station in Cherokee County.

Duke Energy representatives guided a steady stream of visitors around displays set up in the Hillcrest Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in York. The transmission line study is one of several steps involved in the proposed William States Lee III Nuclear Station in the McKown's Mountain area.

Duke Energy officials estimate the utility will spend $35 million over the next several years to have its plans reviewed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It plans to apply in late 2007 or early 2008 for a construction and operating license to build two Westinghouse AP 1000 reactors, said Bryan Dolan, Duke Energy's vice president of nuclear plant development. It will take three years for the commission to review the license application. A final decision to build the nuclear station likely won't be made before 2010.

"We are excited about the potential development of this new plant," Dolan said. "There will be five to six years of planning involved in the development of the proposed Lee Nuclear Station by the time a decision is made on whether to build the plant. We will focus on safety and how best to minimize the impact on the community at every stage of the project."

Consultant Facilities Planning and Siting has started a transmission site study to identify the best locations and routes in Cherokee, York and Union counties, president Dwight Hollifield said. The transmission lines will connect the generation plant to the electrical grid so Duke Energy can provide power to its customers.

The consultant will recommend transmission line sites based on a variety of factors, including the location of schools and housing, the public visibility of the lines, and the environmental impact.

"By late May or early June, we hope to be ready to hold a second round of community workshops so we can receive public comment from residents about the locations of transmission lines," Hollifield said.

The transmission site study will likely be submitted for final approval to the South Carolina Public Service Commission by late October, he said.

Duke Energy has selected another consulting company to do a traffic study of roads located near the proposed William States Lee III Nuclear Station. Along with the traffic study, Dolan said Duke Energy is finalizing plans to remove the old structures located on the 2,000 acre property.

Demolition work will begin in April and take a year to complete.

"There will be some traffic associated with this demolition, primarily trucks transporting scrap steel to an offsite recycler and trash for disposal," Dolan said. "Much of the concrete debris will stay on site as backfill for future buildings."