In Davie and Davidson counties, Duke Energy held two open houses about their proposed Davie-Davidson methane gas energy complex. Duke owns roughly 1,600-acre tracts of land in both counties, separated by the Yadkin River, and wants to build two massive methane gas-fired power plants, totaling almost 3 gigawatts, in Davie County, and a massive, untested first-of-its-kind “enhanced” liquefied natural gas facility in Davidson County.
This development would also require a roughly 3-mile methane gas pipeline under the Yadkin River to connect the infrastructure. However, this project is by no means a done deal.
Outside of both open houses, community members from the grassroots groups “Davidson and Davie for a Clean Future” and “Davie Against Data” showed up with bold signs, creative chants and powerful speeches to protest Duke’s plans. Roughly 40 residents joined in the demonstrations across the two days.
The proposed project follows widespread opposition to data centers and increasing electric bills in Davie and Davidson counties. Duke Energy proposed these power plants due to projected demand from data centers and other large industries.
Duke continues to keep quiet about the true impacts this project would have. This project would strip away the natural character of the region, remove areas of Perkins Game Land from preservation and public use, industrialize this historical, natural stretch of the Yadkin River, and fill the air with health-compromising air pollutants, all paid for by Duke Energy customers. Impacts to the Yadkin River, harmful air pollution, emergency response plans, loss of rural character and data center proliferation are among the many concerns that residents continue to echo in their opposition.
Residents Outside of the Open House in Mocksville
“Air pollution, to me, is one of the greatest threats that this plan has,” said Barry Sink, a resident of Davidson County. “The pollution coming from the stacks of this installation would be phenomenal. The pain, the suffering, the illnesses, the kids that come up with respiratory diseases, the heart attacks, the strokes, all of that kind of stuff that you can’t put dollars and cents on. But we can stop it. We can fight the battle. We can win the battle.”
“We picked Mocksville, Davie County, as our home because it doesn’t look like Winston-Salem or Salisbury,” said Sarah Weschler, a resident of Davie County. “When you hit those highway exits and you see the sunflowers on Farmington or the zinnias, you know you are in Davie County. When you’re driving through the parts of town that are just full of greenery and farmhouses, and you can follow the winding roads with cows and cornfields, you know you’re in Davie County. And that’s a place worth fighting for.”
“This massive proposed development would permanently change the wild and historic character of this section of the Yadkin River into an industrial corridor,” said Nicole Eastman, Yadkin Riverkeeper. “North Carolinians visit this stretch of the Yadkin River State Trail to experience a beautiful forested, winding river. These wild sections are special in our growing state and need to be protected from an unnecessary development to safeguard drinking water and recreational use, historical value, and habitat.”
“Air pollution is already high in this area, with fine particulate matter levels in Davidson County already close to going over the federal limit,” said Juhi Modi, North Carolina Program Coordinator with Appalachian Voices. “This project would release more PM2.5 and could lead to the limit being exceeded, limiting future industries and economic development opportunities for the community that would bring far more jobs than this gas complex.”
