PUBLIC NOTICE ON AIR PERMIT RENEWAL FOR DUKE POWER PLANT

RALEIGH - The N.C. Division of Air Quality will issue a public notice today on the renewal of the air quality permit for the Duke Cliffside plant in Rutherford County.

Duke Energy Carolinas has applied for the air permit to continue operating its coal fired boilers and associated pollution control equipment at the Cliffside Steam Station, 573 Duke Power Road, in Rutherford County. Duke has operated power plants at this site since the early 1940s.

The permit renewal concerns all of the air emissions sources at Cliffside, including the existing Units 1-5 and the new Unit 6 that Duke is now constructing at the site. DAQ issued a permit for Unit 6 in January 2008 and has held three public hearings on that facility, which is scheduled to begin operating in 2012.

Persons wishing to comment on the permit renewal or request a public hearing on the renewal should submit their remarks in writing, postmarked no later than Nov. 18. Comments should be sent to Michael Gordon, N.C. Division of Air Quality, 1641 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1641. Remarks sent by e-mail should be sent to: mike.gordon@ncdenr.gov.

Under the permit, Duke must demonstrate that it can comply with state and federal rules for controlling particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, visible emissions, volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants. The plant would use various air pollution control devices, including a wet scrubber, electrostatic precipitators and a selective catalytic reduction system. Other permit conditions require the facility operators to:

• Monitor air pollution control equipment.
• Conduct periodic stack testing of emissions from recovery furnaces and boilers annually.
• Operate continuous emission monitors for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and visible emissions.

The draft permit may be viewed online at http://daq.state.nc.us/cgi-bin/perm_draftrev.cgi, or at the following locations: Haynes Branch Library in Henrietta; DAQ Asheville Regional Office, 2090 U.S. Highway 70, Swannanoa, phone (828) 296-4500; and the DAQ Central Office, Permits Section, Parker Lincoln Building, 2728 Capital Blvd., Raleigh, phone (919) 715-6255.

By law, the division must review permits for compliance with air quality regulations. The division has no authority over zoning, land use or where a company decides to locate a facility. Local governments are responsible for regulating land use. More information about other air quality issues can be found at the DAQ Web site, www.ncair.org.

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