Showing posts tagged “Progress Energy”
Lisa Sorg ·
29 Jun 2009, 4:49 PM ·
1 Comment
North Carolina is home to ore than a quarter of the nation’s coal combustion residue (CCR) impoundments that carry a “high hazard potential rating,” meaning that if the impoundment failed, it would probably cause loss of human life. This is according to an Environmental Protection Agency report released today, which designated 12 North Carolina coal residue impoundments with the rating. Ten are operated by Duke Energy; two are operated by Progress Energy. The EPA identified 44 such impoundments nationwide.
According to the EPA, the rating is not an indication of the structural integrity of the unit or the possibility that a failure will occur in the future; it allows dam safety and other officials to determine where significant damage or loss of life may occur if there is a structural failure.
There are three CCR impoundments in Spencer, which is near Salisbury. The following towns have two: Arden, south of Asheville; Eden, north of Greensboro near the Virginia-N.C. line; and Mt. Holly, just northwest of Charlotte. Belmont, which is south of Mt. Holly, Walnut Cove, north of Kernersville, and Terrell, which is near Lake Norman north of Charlotte, have one each.
Here’s more from the EPA announcement:
The EPA made its determination using the criteria developed by the National Dam Safety Program for the National Inventory of Dams. Hazard potential ratings are generally assigned by the State Dam Safety officials.
These impoundments contain fly ash, bottom ash, coal slag and flue gas desulfurization residue. CCRs contain a broad range of metals, for example, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, lead, and mercury, but the concentrations of these are generally low. However, if not properly managed, (for example, in lined units), CCRs may cause a risk to human health and the environment and, in fact, EPA has documented cases of environmental damage.
EPA’s assessment of the 26 facilities that have units with high hazard potential ratings continues to be an Agency priority. EPA has conducted on-site assessments, which are undergoing Agency review, at 11 of these facilities. The remaining 15 of these facilities have had state inspections within the past 12 months and EPA will be reviewing the reports from those inspections. EPA plans to make public the results of our assessments as soon as they are completed.
North Carolina, environment Arden, Belmont, coal residue impoundments, Duke Energy, Eden, Environmental Protection Agency, high hazard potential, Mt. Holly, North Carolina, Progress Energy, Terrell, Walnut Cove
Lisa Sorg ·
7 Jan 2009, 10:09 AM ·
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The New York Times today reports that three coal ash waste sites in North Carolina have contaminated water, two of them with possible risk to human. The Times’ story follows the fly ash disaster in eastern Tennessee in which a containment pond gave way resulting in a billion gallons of toxic sludge covering waterways, land and neighborhoods.
Meanwhile Sue Sturgis reports on Facing South blog that North Carolina has eight such “surface impoundments,” with hundreds of thousands of pounds of highly toxic substances generated by coal-fired and steam plants. The list is compiled from the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory data, which, unfortunately, is self-reported.
The list includes the following Progress Energy sites: Roxboro Stream Electric Plant in Semora, Mayo Electric Generating Plant and in Roxboro, L.V. Sutton Electric Plant in Wilmington, Asheville Steam Eletric Plant in Arden, H.F. Lee Steam Electric Plant in Goldsboro, Cape Fear Steam Electric Plant in Moncure;
As for Duke Energy, it has the Allen Steam Station in Belmont and Cliffside Steam Station in Mooresboro Buck Stream Station in Pencer.
North Carolina, environment coal ash, Duke Energy, Progress Energy
Lisa Sorg ·
17 Dec 2008, 2:18 PM ·
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Those of you within striking distance of the Shearon Harris nuke plant, don’t toss those potassium iodide pills. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Progress Energy’s request to extend the plant’s operating license of through 2046, according to the Triangle Business Journal.
The Indy has long reported on the problems at Shearon Harris, from fire safety violations to security guards who cheated on qualifying tests. Nonetheless, the NRC inexplicably has given the plant glowing reviews.despite studies that show there’s no safe level of radiation that comes out of nuke plants.
Read more on the fire issues, the guard training and legal action take by environmental watchdogs. Continue reading »
North Carolina, environment nuclear plants, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Progress Energy, Shearon Harris
Bob Geary ·
17 Oct 2008, 9:29 AM ·
1 Comment
First, Progress Energy said $4.4 billion — to build two more nuclear reactors at Shearon Harris. P-shaw, said NC WARN. Now, PE says $9 billion. Still p-shaw, says NC WARN. In Florida, the bidding for a pair of new PE nukes is up to $17 billion. And they are a long, long way from even being approved, to say nothing about what they’d cost were they actually built some day.
Way down in the N&O’s story:
Standard & Poor’s, the Wall Street rating agency, issued a report Wednesday titled: “Construction Costs To Soar For New U.S. Nuclear Power Plants.”
Wake County, business NC WARN, nuclear reactors, Progress Energy, Shearon Harris
Vernal Coleman ·
12 Sep 2008, 4:11 PM ·
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Facing South reports that after a protracted negotiation process, the security guards at a Progress Energy nuclear power plant outside Raleigh have come to terms on a new contract with Securitas, the guard’s direct employer. The hope is that improved working conditions will help alleviate some of the security woes workers say still plague the facility, the details of which were can be found in this 2005 Indy report.
Raleigh, labor, news Progress Energy, Shearon Harris
