Duke Energy Progress said April 11 it will appeal the North Carolina Dept. of Environmental Quality’s order issued earlier this month to excavate nine remaining large coal ash pits at six power plants in the state and move ash to lined landfills; the firm claims the new mandate at sites previously deemed low-risk will cost up to $5 billion to implement.
In a statement, Duke said the cost to remove and offsite dispose of the waste would impose a financial burden on power customers and on the Carolinas economy of the Carolinas. It called the closure decision the “most expensive and disruptive” option possible and that DEQ did not fully consider the science and engineering when making its decision.