Duke Energy sends coal ash to cement facilities

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke Energy plans to send coal ash from a plant in Lumberton, North Carolina, to two South Carolina facilities for use in cement production, a report by the Fayetteville Observer says.

The Weatherspoon plant closed in 2011, the report says, and had three coal-fired steam units. It first began running in 1949. Since closing, Duke has been planning to dry out the 2.5 million tons of coal ash and transport it to a storage site.

Originally, the ash was to be dumped in a lined landfill Duke planned to build in Lee County at a site of abandoned mines, but the site became a contingency location in December, the report says.

Now, according to Duke Spokesman Jeff Brooks, the ash will be used for various construction purposes, such as bridges and buildings. Brian Weisker, Duke’s vice president of coal combustion products, operations and maintenance, says in the report that recycling the material in this way will help meet regional demands for material.

Two other utilities in South Carolina are following in Duke’s footsteps and recycling coal ash in similar ways. Nick Torrey, staff lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center, says the project should encourage Duke to dig up the coal ash from its sites throughout North Carolina and recycle it.