Siren Test Scheduled for January 8, 2020

Duke Energy and county officials to test sirens around Brunswick Nuclear Plant

  • A five to 30 second test is scheduled between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8.
  • Additional siren tests to be conducted over the next six weeks
  • No public action required

SOUTHPORT, N.C. – The 38 outdoor warning sirens around Brunswick Nuclear Plant will be tested for five to 30 seconds between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8, as scheduled.

This information is reflected in the 2019-20 Brunswick Nuclear Emergency Preparedness booklets recently sent to residents living within the 10-mile Brunswick Nuclear Plant emergency planning zone.

In addition, the plant’s siren activation system will be upgraded, which will require additional siren testing during several time periods in 2020. To ensure the newly installed equipment is functioning properly, sirens will be individually tested over six weeks beginning in late January. During testing, sirens will sound briefly, approximately five to 30 seconds. Siren testing will occur Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

All tests are performed in cooperation with emergency officials in Brunswick and New Hanover counties, who are responsible for sounding the sirens.

Because this is a test, local broadcasting stations will not interrupt regular programming to broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages. If there were ever a real emergency at the plant requiring the sirens to be sounded, local radio and television stations would broadcast information and instructions to the public.

For more information about the outdoor warning sirens, residents can refer to information available at duke-energy.com/NuclearEP.

Duke Energy Progress

Duke Energy Progress, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns nuclear, coal, natural gas, renewables and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides about 12,700 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.6 million customers in a 32,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy is transforming its customers’ experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit’s regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2019 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, and Forbes’ 2019 “America’s Best Employers” list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.