H.F. Lee Energy Complex facts for kids

The H.F. Lee Energy Complex is a big power plant that makes electricity. It is run by a company called Duke Energy. This complex used to be known as the Goldsboro Plant.

The plant first started making power in 1951. Back then, it used coal to create electricity. Over the years, more power-making units were added. Some of these units used oil. In 2012, the older coal and oil units were closed down. They were replaced with newer units that use natural gas.

A special lake called Quaker Neck Lake was built to help cool the power plant. It still helps cool the newer gas units. Near the lake, there are also areas called ash ponds. These ponds hold leftover ash from when the plant burned coal. There are plans to clean up this ash by recycling it or burying it safely.

Making Power at H.F. Lee

The Goldsboro Plant, which is now the H.F. Lee Energy Complex, started making electricity in 1951. It used coal to do this. A second coal unit was added in 1952. In 1962, a third coal unit started working. This unit was special because it was the first coal-fired plant fully controlled by a computer! When this third unit opened, the plant was renamed the H.F. Lee Plant. It was named after Harry Fitzhugh Lee, who used to work for the power company.

Between 1967 and 1971, four units that used oil to make power were added. Over the years, the company that owned the plant changed names. First, it was Carolina Power and Light Company. Then, it merged with another company and became Progress Energy in 2000. In 2009, Progress Energy said it would close the old coal and oil units.

In 2012, Progress Energy joined with Duke Energy. The three old coal units were shut down on September 15, 2012. The four oil units stopped working in October 2012. A brand new plant that uses natural gas started making power in December 2012. This new plant can make 920 megawatts of electricity. It uses water from Quaker Neck Lake to help cool its systems.

Quaker Neck Cooling Lake

Quaker Neck Lake is about 4.7 miles (7.6 km) west of Goldsboro, North Carolina. It sits at an elevation of about 18 meters (59 feet). This lake was made especially to cool the power plant. It is one of many man-made lakes in the Neuse River area. The power plant is located to the west of the lake.

Today, the lake is next to a bend in the Neuse River, but it is separate from the river itself. The river flows around the lake. The lake is about 545 acres (221 hectares) in size. It is surrounded by an earthen wall. The lake's main job is to provide cooling water for the power plant.

In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew brought a lot of rain to the area. The Neuse River flooded. On October 12, 2016, Duke Energy announced that a small part of the cooling lake's wall had broken. It was about 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 meters) wide. However, this break was not expected to cause much harm to the already flooded river.

Quaker Neck Dam Removal

A small dam called the Quaker Neck Dam was built in 1952 on the Neuse River. Its purpose was to hold back water for the power plant's cooling system. The dam was about 7 feet (2.1 meters) high and 260 feet (79 meters) long. It even had a special "fish ladder" to help fish swim past it.

For a long time, people wondered if the dam was blocking fish from moving upstream. Some studies said fish could get past it, but most found that only a few fish could. In 1989, a government group called the United States Fish and Wildlife Service said the dam was a barrier to fish.

After some planning, it was decided to remove the dam. This work happened between December 1997 and August 1998. The Quaker Neck Dam was taken down in May 1998. Removing the dam cost about $222,000.

This removal was a big deal for fish. It opened up about 78 miles (126 km) of the Neuse River and 925 miles (1,489 km) of smaller streams for fish to use. This was especially helpful for "anadromous" fish. These are fish that live mostly in saltwater but swim into freshwater rivers to lay their eggs (spawn). Examples include alewife, blueback herring, striped bass, and American shad. Another nearby dam, the Cherry Hospital Dam, was also removed. This opened up even more streams for these fish.

Studies after the dam removal showed good results. American shad, hickory shad, and striped bass were able to swim much further upstream to spawn than they could before the dam was removed.

Coal Ash Basins

The H.F. Lee Steam Plant has four areas where coal ash is stored. Coal ash is the leftover material when coal is burned to make electricity. One of these areas, called an active ash pond, is next to Quaker Neck Lake. It is surrounded by a wall.

There are also three older ash basins further west. These are no longer used and are usually dry. They hold coal ash that is about 4 to 10 feet (1.2 to 3.0 meters) thick over an area of 170 acres (69 hectares). In 2015, a study found that these basins had high levels of certain metals like arsenic. These metals can be harmful if they get into the environment.

When the Neuse River flooded during Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, the three inactive ash basins were covered by water. Duke Energy said there was no major release of ash. However, some environmental groups reported seeing a lot of coal ash in the water. One person said the area looked like a "winter wonderland of toxic coal ash" because it had coated the water and trees.

In December 2016, Duke Energy announced plans to clean up the ash. They said they would recycle the ash to be used in making concrete. Their goal is to remove all the ash by 2028. Any ash that cannot be recycled will be buried safely in a special landfill. This plan aims to keep the ash away from rivers and water.