Coal ash could be coming to Chatham and Lee Counties, as Duke Energy looks to use old clay mines for disposal.

The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources received a pair of applications last week from Green Meadow LLC, a company seeking permission to move coal ash stored at power facilities to fill in open-pit clay mines.

One mine is in Chatham County near Moncure, the other is in Lee County near Sanford.

The permits would allow Duke Energy to relocate coal ash from power plants in Mount Holly and Wilmington and use it to fill the open pits after installing liners to prevent groundwater contamination.

Green Meadow LLC hopes to begin work on the structural fill projects at both mine sites in early 2015.

However, a public hearing must be held first, and the permits must be reviewed by the Division of Waste Management before work can begin.

In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency will likely roll out new federal guidelines for coal ash disposal in December, which could have an impact on the application.

Ultimately, Duke Energy hopes to relocate 3 million tons of coal ash to Lee and Chatham counties.

Related Stories
‹
Duke Energy Building Coal Ash Recycling Plant in Moncure
By Casey Mann, Chatham News + Record Staff Duke Energy is constructing a coal ash recycling unit on the property of its former Cape Fear plant in Moncure with the goal of excavating the coal ash in basins there, helping it meet the state-mandated basin closure deadline and providing another use for the discarded ash. The […]
Duke Energy Agrees to Remove Coal Ash in North Carolina
The state of North Carolina says it has secured an agreement with Duke Energy to excavate nearly 80 million tons of coal ash at six facilities. The Department of Environmental Quality said in a Thursday press release that it will be the largest coal ash cleanup in the nation’s history. It also settles various legal […]
Chatham County Officials Agree to Deal with Duke Energy on Coal Ash
Chatham County officials have reached an agreement with Duke Energy on parameters of storing coal ash at a clay mine in the county. A deal was struck between the county and the energy giant after weeks of negotiations, according to officials. Chatham County Manager Charlie Horne says the county’s focus was getting the best arrangement […]
Damage from Tropical Storm Debby Leads to Power Outages in Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties
As the storm moved through North Carolina on Thursday, several communities in Orange, Chatham and Durham Counties reported losing power.
Adverse Weather Leads to Flood Warning, Power Outages in Orange and Chatham Counties
The string of storms moving across the southeast caused some adverse conditions in the Triangle, with Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham among the areas issued alerts from the National Weather Service. A flash flood warning was in effect for several hours on Friday in the towns, as rain caused rapid rises in creeks and streams. […]
State Local Officials Push for Solar Power Partnership with Duke Energy
CEO of Duke Energy seeking a partnership to install solar power and energy storage systems at North Carolina schools. Officials from school systems, counties and cities across the state are urging the energy company to provide schools with solar and storage infrastructure, which they have […]
Duke Energy Sued for 2014 Coal Ash Spill Environmental Harm
The federal, North Carolina and Virginia governments asked a court Thursday to declare the country’s largest electricity company liable for environmental damage from a leak five years ago that left miles of a river shared by the two states coated in hazardous coal ash. Government lawyers sought to have Charlotte-based Duke Energy declared responsible for […]
Study: Heavy Metals in N Carolina Lake Bottom Extensive
A toxic stew of coal ash has spilled repeatedly and apparently unnoticed from storage pits at a Wilmington power plant into an adjoining lake, according to a Duke University scientist who said Monday that flooding last September from Hurricane Florence was only the latest example. The concentrations of lead, cobalt and other heavy metals detected […]
N Carolina, Duke Energy Contest Coal Ash Cost, Removal Scope
North Carolina’s environmental agency exceeded its authority by ordering Duke Energy Corp. to dig up all of its coal ash and move it from unlined storage sites where toxic chemicals have seeped into water supplies, the country’s largest electric company said Friday. Duke Energy said an administrative challenge to the state Department of Environmental Quality […]
Duke Energy to Contest N Carolina Coal Ash Excavation Order
The country’s largest electric company says it’s challenging an order by North Carolina’s environmental agency to excavate coal ash from all of its power plant sites in the state. Duke Energy Corp. said Thursday it will file an administrative appeal by May 1. The order could cut the risk of toxic chemicals leaking into water […]
›