The Salisbury-Rowan County Economic Development Commission received the 2008 Duke Energy Power Partner Award for its help with the Buck Steam plant expansion.
The EDC was honored for playing a key role in helping acquire a conditional use permit for the new combustion turbine combined cycle plant in Rowan County. Thanks largely to the EDC’s support, the Rowan County Commissioners approved an incentive package that will rebate 42 percent of the property taxes for the new plant for the first 10 years of combined-cycle operation.
The Buck plant will mean approximately $23.1 million in new property taxes, approximately $2.94 million for the Miller Ferry Fire District, 500 construction jobs for 18 months, and 10 new permanent jobs to the Rowan County economy. Partnerships with community organizations like the Salisbury-Rowan EDC help meet the demand for new power generation while providing an economic stimulus to the local economy.
Created in 1993, the Duke Energy Power Partner Awards recognize commercial and industrial customers as well as community-oriented organizations who share Duke Energy’s commitment to excellence and the implementation of strategic energy solutions.
Other winners are:
– Louisiana-Pacific Corp., which has achieved annual energy savings of more than $500,000 through the use of infrared technology to dry primer coating for its hardboard siding at its Roaring River plant.
– Cree Inc., which was in on a pilot to test light-emitting diode (LED) technology on pole-mounted exterior lighting fixtures at its Durham headquarters.
– Verdae Development Inc., which has started a $1.9 billion, 1,100-acre master planned community that will become home to some 10,000 residents, 550 businesses and 15,000 jobs in Greenville, S.C. The development will feature one of the largest underground electric service duct systems in the Carolinas.
– Sealed Air, which makes plastic-film used in packaging. It installed high-efficiency lighting at its Seneca, S.C. facility and plans to complete a similar installation at its Simpsonville, S.C. plant.
– AbitibiBowater, Catawba Operations, which has worked to reduce impact on the Catawba River. It also played a key role in the support of a relicensing process and has reduced electric load at its plant during periods of high demand on the electric system.