09/27/2011



## Progress Energy's Weatherspoon coal-fired power pla nt retires Oct. 1 LUMBERTON, N.C. (Sept. 27, 2011) – Progress Energy Carolinas on Oct. 1 will officia lly close the coal-fired W.H. Weatherspoon Power Pl ant near Lumberton, N.C., the first such retirement under the utility’s fleet-modernization program. The Weatherspoon Plant, named for a retired Carolin a Power & Light company executive, has been a vital part of meeting the needs of Carolinas customers since it began commercial operation in 1949. The pl ant was the first major construction project in thecompany’s post-World War II expansion. Two more co alfired units were added in the 1950s, bringing the p lant’s total coal generating capacity to 177 megawa tts (MW). Four peaking units at the site, fueled bynatural gas and oil, were added in the 1970s and will conti nue to operate as needed to meet customer demand. “For 62 years, the Weatherspoon Plant has been a ke y part of our ability to meet the electricity deman ds of our customers around the clock,” said Bill Jo hnson, chairman, president and CEO of Progress Energy. “Th e hundreds of employees who have worked at Weathers poon over the years have been closely tied to Robeson County and the region, and the plant’s long and productive life has been a testament to their outstanding dedication to safety, efficiency and re liable service.” In 2009, Progress Energy announced a plan to shut d own 11 coal-burning units at four sites in North Ca rolina. Other plants slated for retirement include the H.F. Lee Plant near Goldsboro, the L.V. Sutton Plant nea r Wilmington and the Cape Fear Plant near Moncure. The retirements, representing about 1,500 MW, or 30 percent of Progress Energy’s coal generating fleet in North Carolina, are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013. As part of the fleet-modernization plan, the compan y has invested more than $1 billion in technology t o reduce emissions dramatically at the Roxboro and Mayo plants in Person County and the Asheville Plant in Buncombe County. Progress Energy will continue to o perate those coal-fired facilities after the othersare retired. Progress Energy has two projects under way to repla ce the retiring coal-fueled generating capacity wit h plants fueled by natural gas. A new 920-MW natura l gasfueled combined-cycle facility is under constructio n at the Lee Plant site near Goldsboro. That projec t, including a gas pipeline extension, is expected to begin commercial operation in January 2013. At the Sutton Plant site near Wilmington, Progress Energy is building a gas-fueled combined cycle plan t with a generating capacity of 625 MW. That additi on, with a corresponding natural gas pipeline extension into southeastern North Carolina, is expected to be onl ine at the end of 2013. Progress Energy has worked to minimize job losses a ssociated with the fleet-modernization plan. At the Weatherspoon Plant, some employees are retiring, a nd many have transferred to other company facilities. Others will stay at the site for 12 to 18 months towork on decommissioning the plant. Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Ralei gh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 22,000 megawatts of generation capacity and approximately $10 billion in annual revenues. Progr ess Energy includes two major electric utilities th at serve about 3.1 million customers in the Carolin as and Florida. The company has earned the Edison ElectricInstitute's Edison Award, the industry's highest h onor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. P ower and Associates Founder's Award for customer se rvice. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive ene rgy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable e nergy technologies and a state-of-the-art electrici ty system. Progress Energy celebrated a century of ser vice in 2008. Visit the company’s website at www.progress-energy.com.

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# Press Release Page 1 of 1 Progress Energy's Weatherspoon coal

- fired power plant retires Oct. 1

7/22/2012 https://www.progress

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