Construction begins on Duke's new Cliffside plant
By LARRY HILLIARD Ledger Staff Writer larry@gaffneyledger.com

Duke Energy obtained approval this week for a coal-fired boiler at Cliffside Steam Station.

Duke Energy began construction Thursday on the 800-megawatt advanced clean-coal unit planned at Cliffside Steam Station, just across the state line, according to Duke Energy spokesperson Marilyn Lineberger.

The emission from the plant, which is visible from portions of Cherokee County, will be much cleaner, Lineberger said.

"It will be a long thin vapor," she said. "The equipment will remove more than 90 percent of the emission."

Once the new unit comes online in 2012, Duke Energy will retire four older, less efficient generating units capable of generating approximately 200 megawatts at the Cliffside site, Lineberger said.

Duke Energy has also agreed to a scheduled retirement of 800 additional megawatts of older, less efficient coal capacity in North Carolina. Previously, the company had committed to retire up to 800 megawatts only if it achieved an equivalent amount of energy efficiency savings, a company news release said.

The utility plans other carbon saving measures, including the construction of a nuclear plant in Cherokee County.

Duke Energy spokesperson Rita Sipe said Thursday the Cherokee County nuclear power station project is still in the early permitting stages.