In 2014, Duke Energy Carolinas announced it intended to excavate coal ash from two ash basins and a structural fill area on the property.The company is beginning the permitting process to safely manage coal ash at the W.S. Lee plant in Belton, South Carolina, US, through the construction of a fully lined onsite landfill at the plant.
Duke is currently excavating about 1.4 million t of coal ash from one inactive ash basin and an ash fill area at the W.S. Lee site and transporting the material to a fully lined landfill in Homer, Ga. This work, which is underway, will manage approximately 44% of the coal ash at the site.
The landfill site will be located on existing plant property and will provide a permanent storage solution for approximately 2.2 million t of coal ash remaining at the site.