Duke Energy CEO speaks on Dan River spill year anniversary

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s been one year since one of the largest coal ash spills in the nation’s history. It took almost a week to contain the spill at Duke Energy’s Eden North Carolina ash coal dump. Seventy miles of gray sludge spilled into the Dan River near the border of Virginia.

Duke Energy’s CEO Lynn Good touched on this event in front of Wilmington Chamber of Commerce members Tuesday.

“That event has had a profound impact on our company. It’s given us the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to do the right thing in our communities,” Good said.

As the cleanup process started, other coal ash sites were put into focus. Sites like the Sutton plant in Wilmington.

“We have spent the year really moving forward developing smart sustainable long term solutions to the rest of the basins. We are making great progress as we move forward,” Good said.

The initial plans call for closing basins at four power plant sites, including the Sutton Power Plant. Some of the coal ash will be moved to Chatham and Lee counties.

“We are ready to move ash as soon as we received permits from the state and are committed to meeting that commitment of moving the ash and closing the basin by 2019,” Good added.