Duke Energy faces water shortage

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 1 (UPI) -- North Carolina-based Duke is facing water supply shortages.

Duke Energy Corp. engineers at the McGuire nuclear power plant on Lake Norman, N.C., need the water level in the lake to be above a certain point in order for the plant's backup safety systems to work but the recent drought is causing problems.

With no end in sight, the company has had to redesign and replace the backup safety system to be able to operate at a lower lake level.

Without having the system operational, the company could be forced to temporarily shut down the plant, according to its operating license with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The plant provides nearly 2,200 megawatts, and shutting down would mean extreme strain on Duke’s other capacity.

"We have put every available resource into this job," said spokeswoman Rita Sipe.

As a temporary fix, Duke is keeping the lake level high enough by utilizing its series of 13 dams on the Catawba River, but the company said the water supply in the river basin is shrinking about 2 percent per week.

Duke relies on the river for many plants, including its McGuire and Catawba nuclear plants, three coal-fired plants and 13 hydroelectric dams. Its hydroelectric plants are already running at half capacity because of the shrinking water supply.