The company, which is seeking a certificate of environmental compatibility and public convenience and necessity (CECPCN), filed the application in partnership with North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC).
Duke Energy state president – South Carolina Clark Gillespy said, "The energy needs of our customers are significant over the next 15 years,. "Our commitment is to meet our customers’ needs in a way that balances affordable, reliable and increasingly clean electricity, and this project will help us satisfy that need."
The proposed plant, which is expected to create 500 new jobs during peak of the construction, marks a long-term investment by Duke Energy Carolinas in the Lee Steam Station site.
"The Lee site is a great location for a combined cycle plant. Duke Energy will be able to leverage existing site infrastructure to minimize new generation project costs and impacts to the community and environment," Gillespy said.
The new plant is expected to be operational by June 2017, which commencement of construction will begin after regulatory approvals.
