Tina Worley, Duke Energy’s spokesperson stated that the new Cliffside facility utilizes new technology to release less pollution compared to conventional coal plants.
Worley said “We see Cliffside as our bridge to a carbon-free future. Coal is one of the most used fuels that we have right now. And to say that we could just shut down all of our coal plants would mean basically we would be without electricity. That is not something we want to see.”
Dan Murrey, Mecklenburg County Commissioner, said “Aggressive conservation programs have worked in other cities and if we do it here, we’ll have time to plan for the next generation of rapidly developing alternative technologies. Maybe we should cut the fat out of our energy consumption before we start expanding capacity.”
Duke Energy intends to close four higher polluting units that were constructed in the 1940s as soon as construction of the new plant is finished in 2012.
