Allen Plant will be nation’s largest coal ash cleanup job

As Duke Energy and state environmental officials prepare to embark on the nation’s largest coal ash cleanup at its Allen Plant near Belmont, the public was invited Thursday to offer comments.

About 35 people attended the approximate hour-long hearing at Stuart Cramer High School that was conducted by members of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

While there were numerous questions regarding coal ash dust and the type of material that will be used to line the two massive landfills that will be built at the facility along South Point Road, several others offered thanks for what they hope is a solution to the approximate 19 million tons of coal ash stored at the Allen Plant.

Amy Brown, who lives near the power plant, thanked the DEQ for their work on the closure plan.

“Thank you for doing what no one else before you would do,” Brown told the DEQ members in attendance. “This feels good to stand here and thank you.”

Brown has long been an advocate for clean water on the South Point peninsula and, in the past, was an antagonist of the DEQ and Duke Energy.

But Thursday night, she applauded the agreement between the DEQ, Duke Energy and groups represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center. The court order involves removing 80 million tons of coal ash from nine basins at six Duke Energy sites in North Carolina and storing the ash in newly constructed on-site landfills.

Brown said the settlement reached Dec. 31, 2019, had provided her with “a peace she would not have had” and praised the department for being “brave enough to say, ‘We’re going to remove the ash.’”

Sheila Holman, the DEQ’s assistant secretary for the environment, believes a good resolution has been reached in regard to the Allen Plant.

“We relied on the data and science to help guide us to this decision,” she said. “Our department is committed to following through and seeing successful closure at each of these facilities.”

She said if she owned a home near the Allen Plant she would feel good about the agreement.

“In my mind, this is a really good long-term resolution for this site,” Holman said.

A Duke Energy spokesman said earlier in the week that the Allen Plant, which began operating in 1957, could close as early as 2024 as the company moves toward cleaner energy options, such as natural gas, nuclear and solar power. Currently, the 1,140-megawatt coal-fired plant has 76 full-time employees.

Duke’s plans call for the draining and excavation of two coal ash basins at the site and then placing that ash in two double-lined landfills with a leak detection system surrounded by groundwater monitoring wells. The work will take place over the next 17 years.

Construction of the first 30-acre landfill will begin in 2021. The 20-foot high starter cell will be constructed in a northwest portion of the Allen site near South Point Road.

A larger, 110-acre landfill will follow and it will stand 110 feet, able to be seen from both South Point Road and the Catawba River. When capped, the landfills will be covered with dirt and vegetation and resemble a green mound.

Dave Beck, the general manager of engineering for Duke Energy, previously said current plans call for coal ash only from the Allen Plant being placed in the two landfills. Holman said Thursday she doesn’t believe the Allen site will become a dumping ground for coal ash from other nearby Duke facilities.

“I just don’t see, in reality, why they would make their job more difficult by bringing in ash from other plants,” she said. “Allen has one of the smaller footprints, if you will. There’s just not a lot of space. Duke Energy is challenged to find space here for the ash that currently exists.”

Among the issues brought up during Thursday’s hearing were questions about how air quality will be ensured as that much coal ash is moved; how thick the landfill liners will be and how they’re manufactured and installed; and what percentage of the cleanup costs will be passed on to Duke Energy customers.

The power giant said earlier this year the cost to close the coal ash basins in North Carolina would be between $8 billion to $9 billion. At the Allen Plant, Duke estimated it will take $793 million to close the basins and construct the landfills and another $92 million in post-closure and monitoring costs.

Holman said the cost issue is not managed by the DEQ. All Duke Energy rate requests must go before the N.C. Utilities Commission, which determines what will be covered by Duke and what’s covered by ratepayers.

“The Department of Environmental Quality is not responsible for setting electricity rates,” Holman said.

During Thursday’s hearing, Lori Fox questioned why there is no independent oversight and who will ensure Duke Energy is following regulations when excavation begins in the first quarter of 2021.

“We got to this point because there was no independent oversight,” Fox said. “Why would you trust them?”

Holman said her agency will be responsible for permitting all the closure activities, as well as conducting inspections and enforcement if Duke Energy fails to comply with its permit terms.

“I stand behind all the technical expertise and the professionalism of my staff. We stand ready to follow these closure activities to the end,” Holman said.

Frank Holleman, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said the Allen project will be a tremendous accomplishment.

“It will take a number of years to get it done,” Holleman said, “but every year that goes by, the area will be a little bit safer, a little bit cleaner to where finally when this is done, the problem of unlined coal ash storage in the Catawba River basin and in this community and for Lake Wylie will be over.”

You can reach Michael Banks at 704-869-1842, email mbanks@gastongazette.com and follow on Twitter @MichaelBanksNC.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality will be taking comments on the coal ash impoundment closure plan for the Allen Plant near Belmont through March 19.

Submit comments by mail to: Louise Hughes, N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1601

Submit comments by email to: allencomments@ncdenr.gov. Include the words “closure plan” in the subject header.

The closure plan can be found at: https://deq.nc.gov/news/key-issues/coal-ash-excavation/allen-steam-station-coal-ash-closure-plan

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