Sep. 27--FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Soaring some about 50 stories into the sky, the cooling tower of a nuclear power plant would dramatically alter the Cumberland County landscape.

And the potential $1 billion investment with 1,000 or more jobs would have an equally uplifting effect on the county's economy.

But competition, questions about a water supply and a Progress Energy spokesman indicate that Cumberland County has a long way to go before landing a nuclear power plant.

Since Progress Energy announced said last month it was exploring the possibility of building a new nuclear energy plant, officials from Fayetteville have said they plan to convince persuade the Raleigh-based utility to consider Cumberland County.

"I'm very excited about this," state Sen. Larry Shaw said. "We have not come close to anything like this. This is the kind of thing everyone ought to get behind. These are the kinds of jobs we need. This is the kind of economic development we need."

Shaw, a Cumberland County Democrat, said jobs lost from Black & Decker and possible downsizing at Kelly-Springfield Tire Co. and other manufacturers have left a void.

"We've had a rough time getting industry to our part of the world," he said. "The jobs are going everywhere except Cumberland County."

He said he and Fayetteville Mayor Marshall Pitts Jr., are planning a meeting with Progress Energy officials to promote the area. A date has not been set, he said. Pitts was unavailable for comment.

"At this point, there's some very wishful thinking going on," said Progress Energy spokesman Rick Kimble, who added that he was unaware of plans to talk to Fayetteville officials. "That does not mean that we would not be open to anyone who has a reasonable site ... but it's a very large footprint, and it requires a large amount of water."

Kimble said the climate for building a nuclear power plant is better now than it has been in years. Interest rates are low, technology is improved and a new federal energy bill reduces costs to meet certain regulatory requirements.

Company's plans Progress Energy has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it is seeking a site so it may apply for a construction and operating license. An application could be filed in 2008, with construction beginning in 2010. The notification does not mean the company will submit an application.

Shaw said the county could dam the Cape Fear River and offer Progress Energy a reservoir for a cooling tower. He said the General Assembly appropriated $100 million to the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund to pay for projects such as buying land for a reservoir.

"I think it's time the General Assembly supported us like we've supported everybody else over the years," Shaw said. "We're state taxpayers, too."

But not everyone is ready to dam the river.

"It's a dumb idea," said Denny Shaffer, a former president of the national Sierra Club who lives in Fayetteville and remains active in environmental issues. "You have to have a hole to fill up, and we don't have one. This land here is too flat."

Kimble said a nuclear power plant requires 30 million to 60million gallons of water a day to cool water heated in the plant's reactors. The city of Fayetteville, which takes drinking water from the Cape Fear River, takes an average of 25million gallons daily and has never consumed more than 43.3million gallons in a day.

Many nuclear plants operate on rivers, Kimble said, noting, "it takes a fairly large river that runs even during droughts."

Shaffer said he fought for federal laws in the 1970s that helped prevent the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania from being worse. Water aside, he said he doubts nuclear power will ever come to Cumberland County.

"The likelihood of it happening, simply from a permitting standpoint and financing standpoint is, in my opinion, negligible," he said.

In addition, some have a perception of nuclear plants as being dangerous.

"They don't make good neighbors," Shaffer said.

Kimble counters that nuclear power is the cleanest and most efficient of any source.

He said a more likely expansion could occur happen in Wake County where Progress Energy has land and operates a single-unit nuclear plant called Shearon-Harris.

Kimble said the 10,700-acre site, where a 525-foot cooling tower sits on Harris Lake, is a possible site for expansion, but there could be others. The decision could be driven by demand. Progress Energy serves customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. It has two nuclear plants in North Carolina and one in each of the other states.

Kenneth M. Atkins, executive director of Wake County Economic Development, said he was unaware of Progress Energy's expansion plans, but if the company does expand, he hopes it's at Shearon- Harris.

"Clearly a nuclear power plant adds significantly to the tax base of where it's located," Atkins said. "They pay a lot of taxes. Any government would like to have that."

With no tax breaks, a $1 billion plant in Cumberland County would pay $10.3 million annually in county property taxes.