The company took the decision to close the Robinson coal plant due to the changes in the environmental regulations, rising costs, and older technology and to upgrade the project would have incurred huge amounts of investment.
The other factor that led to the decision of retiring the plants was the anticipation of the commercial operations of the new natural gas-fired generation at the H.F. Lee Plant near Goldsboro, North Carolina in early 2013 and fleet modernization plan.
Duke Energy Energy Supply executive vice president Jeff Lyash said these plants, and especially the men and women who have operated and maintained them, have played a vital role in meeting customer energy needs reliably and affordably for decades.
"As we continue modernizing our generation system, we salute those who have been instrumental in fueling our region’s economic growth so dependably," Lyash added.
Both, the plant and the unit will remain operational throughout the summer season to meet the electricity demand.
The Cape Fear plant was originally scheduled to be closed down in 2013 as a part of the company’s fleet-modernization plan and even after the retirement three oil-fired combustion turbines will continue to operate at the site.
US based Progress Energy Carolinas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy and provides electricity and related services.
