Duke Energy has agreed to excavate all 3.2 million tons of coal ash at its soon-to-be-closed W.S. Lee Steam Station in South Carolina and to bury the material in a lined landfill.

The move came after lengthy discussions with the Southern Environmental Law Center over the proper disposal of coal ash from the plant.

“This is a historic accomplishment for South Carolina’s rivers and clean water,” SELC lawyer Frank Holleman said. It is the first time environmental groups reached an agreement with Duke on coal ash disposal in either North or South Carolina, he said.

More: Charlotte Business Journal

FirstEnergy CEO Alexander Stepping Down After 10 Years

Anthony Alexander, 63, FirstEnergy’s CEO since 2004, is stopping down Jan. 1 to be replaced by Charles Jones, 59, who started with the company in 1978 as a substation engineer and has managed FirstEnergy’s regulated companies since 2010.

The transition occurs as FirstEnergy is reducing its focus on competitive power-generating markets and is returning to its roots as an operator of regulated utilities. Jones said he doesn’t expect any dramatic changes under his leadership. “I don’t think that means I am going to operate the company significantly differently than Tony,” he said.

Alexander will assume the title of “executive chairman” and will remain on the company’s board.

More: The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Exelon Generation’s Delaware Station May Have Buyer by Jan. 1

Exelon Generation said it expects to name a buyer by Jan. 1 for its retired Delaware Station on the Delaware River waterfront, north of Philadelphia’s Center City district.

More than a dozen prospective buyers have toured the property, according to Exelon spokesman Bob Judge. Delaware Station, built in 1920, was designed by Philadelphia architect John T. Windrim, who also designed the famous Franklin Institute. The 223,000-square-foot building comes with 10 acres of land and another 6 acres underwater.

The site, near the booming Northern Liberties and Fishtown neighborhoods, was the northernmost of three waterfront Philadelphia Electric power stations, each a variation on a classical temple. All three are retired. One has been repurposed as an office.

More: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Exelon Files for License Renewal for LaSalle Nuclear Station

Exelon has filed license renewal applications for both units of its LaSalle Nuclear Generating Station southwest of Chicago, asking to be allowed to operate the plant until the 2040s.

The plant’s reactors went into operation in 1984. Nuclear Regulatory Commission-issued license renewals are good for 20 years. The application is 2,100 pages long.

More: Chicago Tribune; NRC

Dominion to Buy Carolina Gas Transmission for $492.9M

Dominion Resources has signed an agreement to buy SCANA’s Carolina Gas Transmission for $492.9 million.

Carolina Gas is based in Cayce, S.C., and operates nearly 1,500 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline in South Carolina and Georgia. Its customers are wholesale and industrial. When the deal is closed, it will become part of Dominion Midstream Partners, the arm of the business that also includes Dominion Cove Point LNG, a liquefied natural gas terminal on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman and chief executive of Dominion Resources, and chairman and CEO of Dominion Midstream, called the acquisition “a compelling strategic opportunity.”

More: Richmond Times-Dispatch

NRG Sells Wind Farm to ALLETE for $15 Million

NRG Energy has agreed to sell its Storm Lake 1 wind farm to Minnesota-based ALLETE Clean Energy for $15 million.

The 108-MW facility at Storm Lake, Iowa, went into commercial operation in 1999. The sale comes after ALLETE bought an adjacent 78-MW wind farm from AES in January.

More: Star Tribune

PPL’s Susquehanna Station Back On Line After Leak

Susquehanna Unit 1, taken off line two weeks ago due to a water leak inside the containment area, returned to service Friday after repairs.

The unit shut down Dec. 13 to allow workers inside the containment area to fix a minor leak. There was no release of radiation during the event, operator PPL said.

More: The Citizens’ Voice

Calpine Signs Gas Delivery Deal with Eastern Shore Natural Gas

Calpine Energy Services has signed a deal with Eastern Shore Natural Gas to supply fuel for the company’s new 309-MW Garrison Energy Centre in Dover, Del.

Eastern Shore, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities, will deliver natural gas to the combined-cycle plant for the next 20 years. Eastern Shore will build seven miles of new pipeline and a compressor station at a cost of about $30 million to fulfill the contract.

More: Energy Global

Duke Adds to Solar Fleet with 20-MW Plant

Duke Energy continued to expand its solar generation fleet with the purchase of a 20-MW turnkey project in Roanoke Rapids, N.C.

The Halifax Solar Power Project, which went into service this month, was built by solar developer Geenex with backing from ET Capital. The plant was built on a decommissioned airport. The output is being sold through a 15-year agreement to Dominion North Carolina Power.

Duke owns 15 wind farms and 22 solar facilities in 12 states, totaling about 1,000 MW.

More: Duke