Duke Energy to generate electricity from biomass in eastern NC

duke-energy-partnership-with-carbon-cycle-energy-to-use-swine-and-poultry-waste

Duke Energy announced partnership with Carbon Cycle Energy (C2e) to use swine and poultry waste output to generate renewable electricity at four power stations.

Located on 82 acres near Warsaw in southeastern North Carolina, N.C., the $100- million facility by C2e will be the largest utility-scale biogas facility in the U.S.

The facility will be capable of transforming animal and food waste into enough clean energy to power 32,000 homes annually the company said.

It is the first in a pipeline of large-scale anaerobic digestion and biogas treatment facilities planned by Carbon Cycle Energy (C2e), the renewable energy development company based in Boulder, Colo.

Upon completion in late 2017, the biogas facility, known as C2e Renewables NC, will process in excess of 750,000 tons of organic waste per year, the company said.

This will produce enough fuel annually to generate approximately 290,000 MWH of electricity, far surpassing the capacity of any other standalone facility in the U.S., according to C2e CEO James Powell.

Duke Energy should yield about 125,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy a year – enough to power about 10,000 homes for a year. The renewable energy credits (RECs) generated annually by the effort will help satisfy state mandates.

“It is encouraging to see the technological advances that allow waste-to-energy projects in North Carolina to be done in an environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner for our customers,” said David Fountain, Duke Energy president – North Carolina.

Under North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS), Duke Energy companies must meet specific compliance targets for swine and poultry waste. Duke Energy is already buying electricity generated from other facilities in the state.

“We are pleased to partner with Carbon Cycle Energy to help meet our compliance objectives,” added Fountain. “The gas from this project will generate carbon neutral electricity compared to the emissions that would result if the waste was left to decay naturally.”

Expanding the utility’s renewable energy output, the captured methane will be treated, injected into the pipeline system and used at four Duke Energy plants:

  • Buck Steam Station in Rowan County
  • Dan River Steam Station in Rockingham County
  • F. Lee Station Combined Cycle Plant in Wayne County
  • Sutton Combined Cycle Plant in New Hanover County

“We are pleased Duke Energy is supportive of our facility in North Carolina,” said James Powell, CEO of Carbon Cycle Energy. “We still have additional work to do with licensing, local regulations and completing our organic waste supply chain. But having a confirmed buyer like Duke Energy is a major step.”

In addition to Duke Energy, C2e will supply power to a second,unnamed Fortune 500 company.

Rajani Baburajan

[email protected]