Concerned residents will have an opportunity to review project details for Duke Energy’s proposed natural gas power plant at a public open house next week.
According to Duke Energy spokesperson Ryan Mosier, the power company will hold an open house for residents near its proposed 1,400-megawatt natural gas power plant on Monday, Feb. 16, at the Martin Luther King Anderson Civic Center from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The meeting was set for Jan. 26, but due to the winter storm, the hearing was rescheduled to a later date.
Mosier said the meeting will feature stations with visuals and graphics, and subject-matter experts from Duke Energy will be available to speak with residents and customers. The meeting is for residents near the proposed 200-acre plant but is open to the public.
Duke explains on its website that the proposed facility would provide natural gas turbines and other associated equipment, manufactured in Greenville, to meet the growing needs of data centers, advanced manufacturing, and population growth.
The $2.5 billion plant, located on Highway 81 South near True Temper Road, has sparked controversy among many area residents, who have raised environmental and health concerns. The plant will be twice the size of the average Duke Energy natural gas plant in South Carolina.
At a Duke Energy Public hearing on Feb. 2, residents cited Anderson’s high asthma rates and the plant’s location adjacent to nearby neighborhoods and approximately three miles from Flatrock Elementary School as concerns.
The facility will require a water source of 600,000 gallons per day for cooling and process makeup, and will discharge approximately 400,000 gallons of waste per day to the local municipal waste treatment facility.
Duke said that if the project moves forward, its representatives will seek regulatory approvals and apply for local, state, and federal permits.
Construction is projected to begin in summer 2027 and serve customers by early 2031.