Buck Combined Cycle Station

• Capacity: 620 megawatts (MW) 
• Location: Rowan County, N.C.
• Commercial Date: 2011

Located in Rowan County, N.C., Duke Energy's Buck Combined Cycle Station utilizes one of the most efficient and flexible fossil generation technologies available. The 620-megawatt (MW) station, which began commercial operation in November 2011, incorporates two natural gas-fired combustion turbine-generator sets, two heat recovery steam generators and a steam turbine-generator set to produce electricity.

Site preparations for the new combined cycle plant, which included the installation of a 20-inch pipeline to supply natural gas to the site, began in 2008.  The plant is currently operated by a skilled team of 25 to 30 people.

To modernize the fleet and provide for future energy needs, Duke Energy began retiring the older coal-fired units at Buck Steam Station in 2011. Units 3 and 4 were retired in mid-2011 before the combined cycle plant began commercial operation, and units 5 and 6 followed in April 2013.

The new combined cycle plant provides customers with a cleaner source of energy and drastically reduces emissions compared to the retired steam station at the site. Emission reductions include:

• 92 percent less nitrogen oxides
• Nearly 100 percent less sulfur dioxide

Buck Combined Cycle Station shares a strong connection to Duke Energy's early history and tradition of utilizing the latest, most efficient technology to meet customer demand for electricity. Just a few hundred yards away stands the Buck Steam Station, which generated electricity and served the community for more than 80 years.