Officials celebrate accomplishment of Progress Energy’s ‘scrubbers’

SEMORA, N.C. — Deep into the beauty of rural North Carolina and close to where boaters and swimmers are enjoying Hyco Lake, the future of clean coal energy can be seen at Progress Energy’s Roxboro plant.

For the past seven years, more than 1,600 plant employees and contract workers have worked to install four new “scrubbers” to reduce the nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide levels emitted by the plant.

On Thursday, employees and local officials gathered to celebrate the accomplishment that cost $800 million and has made the 10th largest coal-fired power plant in the nation also one of the cleanest.

“The white plumes (from the smokestacks) are a symbol of the innovation and the clean air in the state,” Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas, said at the Celebration of Clean Air held at the plant. “This is truly a significant milestone in our commitment to clean air. Together, we have made a down payment on the future of the community.”

The Roxboro plant burns coal to boil water, and the resulting steam spins turbines that create electricity. The plant’s new scrubbers work by removing sulfur dioxide from the flue gas that is produced when the coal is burned. A chemical reaction between the calcium carbonate in limestone slurry and the sulfur dioxide produces synthetic gypsum, which is used to make wall board, according to Tom Copolo, operations manager.

Clean air technologies used at both the Roxboro Progress Energy plant located in Semora and the nearby Mayo plant are among the most effective in the nation and have reduced the nitrogen oxide emissions by 83 percent and the sulfur dioxide levels by 90 percent from the 2004 levels. Mercury emissions have also been reduced by approximately 90 percent.

The white plumes visible from miles away at the top of the chimney beside the scrubbers are merely water vapor.

Paula Sims, senior vice president of power operations, said that the installation of the four scrubbers was “no small task.”

“It required more than 1,600 people to design, build, construct and implement the scrubbers,” she said. “It took 6.7 million work hours; 60,000 cubic yards of cement; 12,000 tons of steel and the use of one of the world’s largest cranes.”

The project was undertaken after the passage of what Sims called the “landmark legislation” of the 2002 North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Act.

Besides the four scrubbers at the Roxboro plant, there is one in use at the Mayo plant and two in the Asheville, N.C., plant.

“Overall, coal accounts for 50 percent of the energy produced by Progress Energy Carolinas, which is why this is so important,” Mike Hughes, director of media relations, said. “This plant is an integral part of providing service to 1.5 million customers.”

He added that the 46 percent of the rest of the energy provided by Progress Energy Carolinas is nuclear, produced by four reactors at three sites, and most of the rest natural gas and oil.

Contact Susan Elzey at or (434) 791-7991.