Split public hearing on Roxboro permit: residents cite health, DAQ staff and local officials emphasize jobs and reliability

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina regulators heard sharply divided testimony on Nov. 12 over a draft air quality permit that would allow Duke Energy Progress to retire coal boilers and build four natural‑gas combined‑cycle turbines at the Roxboro Steam Electric Plant in Person County.

Betsy Huddleston, regional supervisor for the Division of Air Quality and the hearing officer, opened the session and said the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) would accept written comments through Nov. 22, 2024, before forwarding a recommendation to the DAQ director.

Russell Braswell, the DAQ engineer who reviewed the application, summarized the project and the draft permit. He said Duke proposes to retire six coal‑fired boilers in stages and construct four natural‑gas turbines plus supporting equipment, increasing the site’s generating capacity from roughly 2,400 megawatts to about 2,700 megawatts. Braswell said emissions controls — including oxidation catalysts and selective catalytic‑reduction systems — and continuous monitors for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) are part of the proposal and that the division’s modeling showed anticipated pollutant levels would remain below applicable ambient limits.

"Duke Energy has proposed emission limits such that this project does not constitute a…