NEW BERN, N.C. (Oct. 29, 2009) – Progress Energy Carolinas completed the environmental remediation of soil at an industrial site in New Bern, N.C., and donated the land today to the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources for use by Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens.

The former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site, inactive for more than 60 years, is located at 506 South Front Street and is approximately 0.8 acres. Progress Energy is donating the entire property, which has an estimated value of $705,000. Progress Energy never operated the facility but acquired the land as part of business acquisition in the 1990s.

“The gift of this land marks the end of this soil clean-up project, but it is just another milestone in our ongoing commitment to New Bern and this entire region,” said Lloyd Yates, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Carolinas. “We look forward to many more years of working together to address the challenges facing our state.”

Tryon Palace intends to use the property as the parking lot for its new North Carolina History Education Center. The MGP site is located across the street from the center, which is scheduled to open in July 2010. 

“We are thankful for Progress Energy’s generosity and are pleased to help turn this site into a benefit for the state,” said Bob Mattocks, chairman of the Tryon Palace Commission. “I believe that serving as the gateway to the new North Carolina History Education Center is a fitting next step for a site that has itself played a key role in New Bern’s history.”

An MGP operated on the New Bern site from about 1859 until 1946. The plant produced gas from coal, and the gas was sold locally for cooking, heating and lighting. After 1946, coal gas was replaced by propane and natural gas. North Carolina Natural Gas Company (NCNG), a former subsidiary of Progress Energy, owned the property when the company was acquired by Progress Energy predecessor Carolina Power & Light.

There were more than a thousand MGPs around the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  MGPs produced various residual materials, primarily coal tar. These byproducts were reused or sold by the gas plants as much as possible, but it was a common practice of the time to dispose of some excess byproducts on site.

Progress Energy worked with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources to clean up the former MGP site and remove potential environmental hazards. The remediation crews dismantled the property’s abandoned building and replaced impacted soil with clean soil. The company will continue to monitor groundwater in the area to protect public health and safety.

About Progress Energy
Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 22,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system.  Progress Energy celebrated a century of service in 2008. Visit the company’s Web site at www.progress-energy.com.

 

About Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens’ mission is to engage present and future generations in the history of North Carolina from early settlement and development of statehood through the mid-twentieth century by collecting, interpreting and preserving objects, buildings, landscapes and events that enrich understanding of the making of our state and nation. The North Carolina History Education Center complements and enhances this mission.

Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens, located in New Bern, N.C., is part of the Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The Department of Cultural Resources is a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina's arts, history, and culture. For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.

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