CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy
and a consortium of other utilities are securing poultry waste
renewable energy certificates (RECs) from a $32 million Pitt
County facility that started operating recently.
The Carolina Poultry Power facility in Farmville generates 2 megawatts (MW) of power
and 75,000 tons of steam per hour – using more than 230 tons of
turkey waste a day. Carolina Poultry Power is 100%
owned and operated by the Power Resource Group.
"Duke Energy supports the innovative way biomass can complement
the other resources in our energy mix," said Stephen De May, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "Using poultry waste
to generate electricity diversifies our energy portfolio and
supports the important agriculture industry in North Carolina."
The project will help Duke Energy satisfy state poultry
waste-to-energy mandates under the Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency Portfolio Standard ("REPS") law in North Carolina. In 2018, 300,000
megawatt-hours (MWh) of the total electric power sold to retail
electric customers in North
Carolina was supplied by poultry waste.
The utilities buy the RECs generated by the facility when it
produces 1 MWh of electricity. The RECs help the utilities meet the
REPS requirements.
"This is a great example of North
Carolina's portfolio standard directly causing the
deployment of $32 million into the
state to create jobs while helping divert pollution from our
waterways," said Rich Deming, CEO of
the Power Resource Group. "This project would have died during
the long finance process if it were not for the support of Duke
Energy and the utility counterparties when we needed contract
extensions and other help."
The facility, which is connected to the energy grid by
Pitt and Greene Electric
Membership Corporation, collects poultry litter from dozens of
nearby farms. It is dried to create a boiler fuel, which then
creates steam and electricity.
The financing for the facility was provided by First National
Bank of Pittsburgh and a
consortium of private investors.
Duke Energy has been a long-time supporter of biomass in the
state and this facility is an important addition to its portfolio.
Additional utilities supporting the project through REC purchases
are the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation,
EnergyUnited, Virginia Electric and Power Company (Dominion
North Carolina), and the Fayetteville Public Works
Commission.
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of the
largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000
people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts
through its regulated utilities and 3,000 megawatts through its
nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience,
modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and
expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy
future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric
Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve
approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states –
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6
million customers in five states – North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit
operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as
well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2019 "World's Most Admired
Companies" list and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact
sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's
illumination features stories about people, innovations,
community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
About the Power Resource Group
The Power Resource Group moved its headquarters from
Charlotte to Farmville in 2018. It is currently developing
multiple additional energy projects using a variety of waste
resources as fuel, and industrial-scale solar equipment leasing
projects. prg-llc.com.
Contact: Randy Wheeless
Office: 704.382.8379
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_RandyW
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SOURCE Duke Energy Corp.