Three Duke Energy Fossil Stations among the Best in the Country
January 14, 2010
CHARLOTTE, NC – January 14, 2010 – Three Duke Energy fossil stations were among the top 20 performers in the country in 2008, according to Electric Light & Power Magazine.
The publication recently announced the results of its annual operating performance survey of the nation’s electric generating stations.
Belews Creek Steam Station located in Stokes County, N.C. was ranked number one in the nation in the heat rate category. Marshall Steam Station located in Catawba County, N.C. was ranked number eight. Heat rate is a measure of how efficiently a fossil station can burn coal to generate electricity.
“The entire Belews Creek team is pleased to be recognized as the most efficient fossil station in the nation for 2008,” said Don Faulkner, Belews Creek station manager. “While the station’s efficient design contributed to this ranking, the outstanding performance of the Belews Creek team also played a key factor.”
“Being ranked in the top eight most efficient fossil stations in the nation is a real honor for Duke Energy and the entire Marshall Steam Station team,” said Dave Renner, Marshall station manager. “Marshall Steam Station continues to meet the needs of our customers in an efficient and reliable manner.”
Electric Light & Power Magazine also ranked Gibson Steam Station, located in Gibson County, Indiana, third in its survey of total megawatt-hours (mwh) produced by the nation’s fossil stations. Gibson generated 21,887,608 mwh of electricity during 2008. Belews Creek was ranked 13th in this category, generating 16,320,532 mwh of electricity.
“Gibson is Duke Energy’s largest fossil station, which is one of the reasons we were ranked high in this category,” said Tom Guthrie, Gibson station manager. “However, we place a strong emphasis on performance, and Gibson’s five units posted more than 100 consecutive days of generation on six occasions in 2009, which was a new record for us.”
Duke Energy is the third largest electric power holding company in the United States, based on kilowatt-hour sales. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 4 million customers located in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky — representing a population of approximately 11 million people. Duke Energy’s commercial power and international business segments operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.
Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.
