Progress Energy Carolinas is committed to providing safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers.

To meet the region's increasing demand for electricity, Progress Energy is adding a combustion turbine generation unit, commonly referred to as a peaking plant, at its Richmond County energy complex south of Hamlet, N.C. The unit will be used mostly during weather extremes to meet increased customer need for electricity. The new transmission line will help ensure an ample means of transmitting the electricity generated by the new unit.

Progress Energy Carolinas plans to invest about $7.8 million in building a 7.5-mile, 230-kilovolt electric transmission line from the company’s Richmond County energy complex, south of Hamlet, N.C., to an existing electric substation in Rockingham, N.C.

The transmission line will be built primarily on easements the company already owns. One section of approximately one-half mile will require acquisition of new easements from property owners. An easement of approximately 100 feet in width is needed to allow for construction and maintenance of the transmission facilities.

Project Description

The 7.5-mile, 230,000-volt transmission line is expected to be attached to H-frame structures, standing approximately 90-100 feet tall and spaced approximately every 500-700 feet.

The project schedule calls for the new generating unit and transmission facilities to be operational by early 2007. Easement acquisition, additional engineering and design and other milestones will occur before construction gets under way.

Benefits to the Community

The electric system must keep pace with growth throughout this region. In addition to building new power plants, such as the new combustion turbine at the Richmond County Plant site, Progress Energy must enhance the transmission and distribution systems to help ensure a continuous, reliable flow of electricity to homes and businesses in the region. This project is one of several major transmission system upgrades planned over the next five years to benefit Progress Energy’s customers. The company plans to invest about $200 million over the next five years on transmission system projects in the Carolinas.

Without the transmission system upgrades, the area could experience the types of electric system reliability concerns that have plagued other parts of the country in recent years.

The transmission upgrades will generate additional annual property tax revenues for Richmond County.

Land Acquisition

In 1970, the company purchased the 100-foot easement, as well as rights to install guys and anchors outside of the easement and the right to cut danger trees outside of the easement. (Danger trees are trees that could hit the transmission line if they fell.) Progress Energy land agents will work individually with property owners in purchasing any additional easements needed for the facilities. The line will require 50 feet, or slightly more, of right of way on both sides (100-foot total easement requirement). Progress Energy negotiates individually with property owners for easements to permit construction and maintenance of the transmission facilities. Landowners retain ownership of the property with some restrictions on its use.

Public Participation

While Progress Energy already owns most of the easements required to build the line, the company believes public participation is critical to the success of the project. In addition to holding a public information meeting May 29, Progress Energy also will make information available via the Web and will communicate directly with impacted property owners and others.

Schedule

• Information meeting: May 29, 2003
• Right-of-way acquisition: late 2003
• Line construction begins: early 2005
• New line and substations in service: early 2007

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