Sunrise UNC holds press conference on cogeneration facility’s climate impact

Student climate activist group Sunrise UNC shared research around the University's coal-burning cogeneration facility in a recent press conference and community chalk art event.

According to a report compiled by Sunrise researchers, “Stuck in the Smoke: UNC’s Coal Plant and Solutions for a Green Transition,” the plant burns 4,000 tons of coal annually. 

The plant, located less than a mile down Cameron Avenue from the Old Well, currently burns 60 percent natural gas and 40 percent coal, producing steam to power the University and hospital. 

UNC is seeking a permit change, potentially allowing it to begin burning engineered pellets made from byproducts of packaging and label industries on a trial basis. 

In the press conference, Sunrise UNC Research Lead Victoria Plant said this switch would be more harmful. 

“They’ve chosen these plastic pellets made by Convergence as a greener option, which is actually worse in terms of air quality, because they will emit 1.2 pounds of PFAS per year,” she said. 

PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” are long-lasting chemicals found in water, human and animal blood and the air. Research shows they may be linked to harmful health effects.

Plant said switching from coal to pellets would result in a 6 percent decrease in University emissions, making the effects of air pollution on community health "not worth it." 

According to the report, the University says it’s reduced coal use by 54 percent since 2007. It also states that the coal burned at the facility still releases 127 tons of nitrogen oxides and 182 tons of sulfur dioxide per year, among other pollutants.

Sunrise UNC communications lead Kiersten Hackman said that the University has shown an appalling lack of knowledge about the plant, and their next steps toward sustainability. 

“It is located next to two historically Black neighborhoods,” Hackman said, speaking about the cogeneration facility. “We released four to six times the EPA limit on our emissions because of a legislative loophole a couple years ago.” 

The organizing coordinator for Sunrise UNC Amy Okonkwo said that coal burning is an outdated method of steam production, saying that the pollution site is an example of predominantly Black and brown communities having to come to terms with pollution.  

“This act of environmental injustice and racism must come to an end,” she said. 

Okonkwo concluded the press conference by saying that Sunrise calls Chancellor Lee Roberts and the plant's systems manager, William Lowery II, to increase transparency with the public and create a binding plan to close the cogeneration plant. 

The report details an alternative solution to coal and fuel pellets, suggesting electrode boilers are a high-quality option that complies with the plant’s current infrastructure. The boilers pass an electric current through the water, generating heat which boils the water, creating steam. 

These boilers would run on electricity sourced from Duke Energy, which supplies most of UNC's energy. The report states that 54 percent of the electricity that Duke Energy supplies is clean, consisting of nuclear, hydroelectric power and solar energy energy, whereas neither coal nor natural gas are clean. 

The report said that this would not be completely "clean," but if the electrode boilers are implemented, carbon production will be down 44.8 percent if Duke Energy continues to decarbonize at its current planned rate. This is a higher rate than the 6 percent proposed by plastic pellets. 

Sunrise UNC said they held the press conference to present the report’s findings and to urge the community and student body to take action. 

“If they wanted to shut down the coal plant, they would,” Plant said. “And so we must call on people in power to act.” 

In an email statement to The Daily Tar Heel, Media Relations wrote that the University appreciates students' interest and advocacy for transitioning away from coal fuel.

"Generating steam using electricity has some favorable attributes relative to combustion. However, there are significant challenges around capital cost, fuel prices, reliability and carbon emissions reductions that we continue to assess," the statement reads. "Each potential pathway for the campus energy transition presents its own set of challenges, and we continue to explore options as markets and conditions shift."

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