In an integrated resource plan filed with state regulators Wednesday, the utility also said that continued lower-than-expected load growth will likely mean that coal- and natural gas-fired capacity is it now building should be sufficient to meet demand through 2016 a year later than it projected in its 2009 IRP. Further, the company said it will need to add 6,000 MW of new capacity, down from 6,700 MW projected in 2009.
Duke is building an 825-MW, coal-fired unit at its Cliffside station and a 620-MW of gas-fired capacity at its Buck and Dan River stations.
The Buck unit is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2011 and the Cliffside and Dan River units are scheduled to come online by the end of 2012.
The IRP states that Duke also is planning a total of 205 MW in nuclear-unit upgrades between 2012 and 2019, 740 MW of gas-fired combustion turbine capacity in 2017 and 2019, 1,117 MW of nuclear capacity in 2021 and 2023, 650 MW of gas-fired combined-cycle capacity in 2027 and again in 2029
and another 300 MW of new CT capacity in 2030.
The latest plan calls for Duke to retire 113 MW of coal-fired capacity in 2011, 332 MW of coal-fired capacity and 326 MW of older gas-fired capacity in 2012, 142 MW of coal-fired capacity and 24 MW of gas-fired generation 2013 and 1,080 MW of coal-fired capacity in 2015.
Largely in response to North Carolina's renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standard, Duke said plans to gradually add more renewable capacity to its system, beginning with 36 MW in 2011, 89 MW in 2012, 29 MW in 2013, 105 MW in 2014 and 119 MW in 2015.
China Chemical Weekly: http://news.chemnet.com/en/detail-1411716.html
