Duke Energy : files Keowee-Toxaway license application

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -

  Duke Energy today filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) an application for a new license for the Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project in South Carolina.

The license would allow Duke Energy to continue operating Lake Jocassee, Lake Keowee and their associated hydro stations in the Upstate region of South Carolina.

The existing license expires in August 2016. The next license term will be for 30 to 50 years. Duke Energy's proposal is the result of more than four years of collaboration with government and community stakeholders

"Filing this license application is an important step toward determining the future operations of Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee," said Steve Jester, vice president of water strategy, hydro licensing and lake services for Duke Energy.

"We are grateful for the commitment and engagement of the stakeholders representing local, state and federal governmental agencies, Native American tribes, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and the public.

"A relicensing agreement, signed by Duke Energy and 16 stakeholder organizations, is included in the license application and reflects a balance of needs for surrounding communities and the protection of natural resources," he added.

The project was originally licensed for 50 years in 1966 and included Keowee Hydro Station, Lake Keowee, Jocassee Pumped Storage Station and Lake Jocassee. Together these two hydro plants have a generating capacity of 868 megawatts.

FERC's relicensing process encourages people to recommend the balance they would like to see adopted in the new license, including water resource protection enhancements, public recreational amenities, land conservation, species protection and shoreline management.

Following an issuance by the FERC of a Notice of Acceptance and Ready for Environmental Analysis, future major milestones in the relicensing process include inter-agency reviews culminating in the issuance by the FERC of a final or draft Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement.

Duke Energy will also file a request for 401 Water Quality Certification from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

For more information about Keowee-Toxaway relicensing, visit http://www.duke-energy.com/lakes/keowee-toxaway-relicensing.asp.

About Duke Energy Carolinas

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

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