Duke Power - Buck Steam Plant

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Buck Steam Station is a two-unit coal-fired generating station located on the Yadkin River in Rowan County, N.C. It was Duke Energy’s first large capacity coal generating plant built in the Carolinas and was named for the company’s co-founder James Buchanan "Buck" Duke.

Units 3 and 4, 113 megawatts combined, were retired in mid-2011, and units 5 and 6 are expected to be retired in the coming years. Unit 4 was originally ordered and built for a navy vessel during World War II. When the Pentagon canceled the order, the manufacturer offered the unit to Duke Power, a forerunner of Duke Energy.

The site also is the home of the new Buck Combined Cycle Plant, a 620-megawatt natural gas facility that will generate electricity very efficiently while reducing air emissions. Three combustion turbine units also are housed on the site.