Duke Energy initiates demolition of original Cliffside units

Duke Energy News Release:

Duke Energy initiates demolition of original Cliffside units
Sept. 4, 2013

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -
After nearly two years of planning and preparation, Duke Energy will begin demolishing Cliffside coal units 1 through 4 this fall.

The demolition process will last several months and will include implosion of the powerhouse in mid-2014.

The company retired the four units in October 2011 after more than 60 years of service to Duke Energy customers.

Duke Energy's long-term vision for sites with retired coal units like those at Cliffside is to safely return them to ground level using a method known as decommissioning and demolition. This multi-year process involves cleaning and removing equipment, demolishing the buildings and powerhouse, and restoring the site.

"By retiring the older, less efficient coal units, we have the opportunity to modernize our generation fleet to better serve our customers," said Craig DeBrew, Duke Energy district manager. "The newest addition to the site, unit 6, is a state-of-the-art unit that uses a highly effective combination of air quality controls. Just as we took great care to build unit 6, we'll be just as deliberate and methodical in demolishing these retired units."

In the first phase, changes at the site will be less noticeable, but during the final stages of the demolition process, local neighbors and community members may notice the removal of larger structures from the site.

Neighbors can expect increased traffic in 2014. However, the company expects it would be in much lower volume and shorter duration than during unit 6 construction. Duke Energy will continue to update the community with important information as the process advances.

Customers interested in learning more about the decommissioning project can visit http://www.duke-energy.com/coal-decommissioning.

About Duke Energy Carolinas

Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 20,000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States with more than $110 billion in total assets. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.2 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.

Contact: Catherine Butler
Office: 980.373.1828 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853

###