List Of North Carolina Most Deadly Coal Plants

North Carolina has 67 operating coal-fired power units at 25 locations totaling 13,279 megawatts (MW).

A Shocking History of North Carolina's Coal Plants

Coal-fired power plants produced about 62 percent of the electricity generated in North Carolina. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects this amount to be 67 percent by 2010.^[1]

North Carolina produces a disproportionately large amount of carbon dioxide, in large part because of the state’s numerous coal plants, and ranks 14th in the nation in CO₂ emissions. The state produces 77 million tons of CO₂ every year, an amount only slightly less than California’s 79 million tons, despite the fact that North Carolina’s population is one quarter the size of California.^[2]

One of Duke Energy Coal Ash Spills

North Carolina-based Duke Energy is planning an 800MW expansion at its Cliffside plant that would emit an additional 6.25 million tons of CO₂ per year. Duke Energy is the nation’s third largest producer of carbon dioxide, emitting 108 million tons of CO₂ per year, despite CEO Jim Rogers’ public calls for federal legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Duke’s eight plants in North Carolina produce 41 million tons of CO₂ each year, more than half of the state’s total yearly carbon dioxide emissions.^[2]

In May 2010 the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report titled, Burning Coal, Burning Cash: Ranking the States that Import the Most Coal. In the paper the group reported that North Carolina was the second most coal dependent state in the country, spending $2.3 billion on coal imports in 2008.^[3]

A

• Asheville Plant

B

• Belews Creek Steam Station
• Buck Steam Station

C

• Canton Mill Power Plant
• Cape Fear Steam Plant
• Cliffside Plant (existing)

D

• Dan River Steam Station

E

• Edgecombe Genco
• Elizabethtown Power Plant

G

• G.G. Allen Steam Plant

I

• International Paper Roanoke Rapids Power Plant

L

• Lee Steam Plant
• Lumberton Power Plant

M

• Marshall Steam Station
• Mayo Generating Plant

P

• Primary Energy Roxboro Power Plant

R

• Riverbend Steam Station
• Roanoke Valley Energy Facility

R cont.

• Roxboro Steam Plant

S

• Southport Plant
• Sutton Steam Plant

U

• UNC Chapel Hill Cogeneration Facility
• Unifi Kinston Power Plant

W

• Weatherspoon Plant
• Weyerhaeuser Plymouth Power Plant

Cost of Coal Compared to Other Fuels

Fuel                     Cost             Btu Content         $/MMBTU

Wood Chips      $34/ton            5,000 Btu/lb          $4.25

Switchgrass      $60/ton            7,500 Btu/lb          $5.00

Coal                   $120/ton            25 MMBtu/ton       $6.00

Oil                       $2.50/gal        140 MBtu/gal           $22.32

Natural Gas      $1.25/therm      100 MBtu/therm    $15.63

Source

Switchgrass  

• A native, warm season grass

• Requires minimal fertilizer and water

• Can grow on marginally productive land

• Harvest with traditional agricultural equipment

• Switchgrass will yield 3-4 tons per acre

• Low density, benefits to densifying

• Immature market: Harvesting would create jobs for decent people

Natural Gas 

• Is the cleanest fuel next to hydrogen
• Requires drilling and fracking
• Failing gas pipe infrastructure
• Natural gas is highly explosive

Oil     

• Can be burned far more cleanly than coal.
• Not renewable
• Expensive
• Causes major environmental disasters
• Drilling and refining is dangerous

Wood Chips 

• Can be burned cleanly
• Renewable 
• Not enough trees to meet demand

Coal 

• Coal mining harms the environment and kills the miners.
• Coal ash kills
• Fly ash from coal kills
• Coal cannot be burned cleanly
• Coal plants increase cancer rates
• Coal plants cause many diseases in children
• Coal stinks

Duke Energy and their well payed whore NC Governor Pat McCrory are examples of corporate gangsters who kill and rape our kids.

Click here to see what the Duke Energy corporate gangsters pocket each year.

Click HERE to see how one former Duke CEO pocketed 5.5 million per hour!