December 2009 Vol. 236 No. 12

Projects

Piedmont to Build Pipeline, Compression Facilities for Power Plant

Piedmont Natural Gas finalized an agreement with Progress Energy Carolinas to provide natural gas delivery service to the electric utility’s power generation facility to be built at the Wayne County, NC energy complex.

Piedmont will construct 38-miles of 20-inch pipeline along with additional compression to provide natural gas delivery service to the plant by July 2012. Piedmont’s investment in the pipeline and compression facilities is estimated at $85 million.

The plan for the power plant includes retiring three existing coal-fired units at the adjacent H.F. Lee Plant once the new gas-fueled units come online. Progress Energy Carolinas expects the new combined-cycle natural gas plant will increase the amount of electricity produced at the site while reducing overall emission rates for carbon dioxide by an estimated 60 percent, mercury rates by 100 percent, sulfur-dioxides by nearly 100 percent and nitrogen oxides by more than 95 percent.