Duke Energy has secured approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to replace its 376MW Asheville coal-fired power plant with a new $1bn natural gas facility.

The project is in line with the company's effort to shift towards a smarter and cleaner energy generation.

Work under the project includes construction of two combined cycle natural gas-fuelled electric generating units, which each have a capacity of 280MW. The new units will replace the existing coal-fired power plant, planned to be decommissioned by 2020.