Progress Energy Carolinas selects transmission line route

64-mile line needed to meet region’s continued and expected growth

After a comprehensive assessment of more than 500 options, Progress Energy Carolinas has selected a route for a new 64-mile 230-kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line between Richmond and Cumberland counties.

The transmission line, announced in October 2007, is needed to meet the needs of growth and prevent overloading of transmission lines throughout the region. It is a critical part of a project that includes a new natural gas-fueled power plant at the company’s Richmond County Energy Complex south of Hamlet.

The selected route (see attached map) runs from the Richmond County Energy Complex east along Interstate 74 for about five miles. It then turns to the southeast and joins Progress Energy’s existing 500-kV transmission line corridor just before entering Scotland County. The route then runs parallel to existing 230-kV and 500-kV transmission lines for approximately 18 miles through Scotland County. After crossing the Lumber River, the route turns northeast and extends across rural Hoke County south of Raeford into Cumberland County, where it turns north to enter the Fort Bragg Army Base. There, the line will tie into an existing Progress Energy Carolinas electric substation.

The route was chosen because it minimizes the overall impact of the 230-kiloVolt (kV) line on the area, including homes, and natural and cultural resources.

Progress Energy officials have met with hundreds of property owners and others as part of the process of evaluating potential routes. The company held three public meetings in Richmond and Hoke counties in November and January. Input from those meetings, and from surveys completed by area property owners, factored heavily in the route selection.

The company also worked extensively and collaboratively with environmental agencies to minimize impacts and with Fort Bragg officials to site as much of the line as possible on base property without compromising the base’s critical training missions in supporting national security.

The company is notifying residents whose property is affected by the selected route, as well as those whose property was in the study area but is no longer affected. Given the location of the selected route, much of the initial study area is not affected by the line.

Project need

The new natural gas-fueled power plant in Richmond County and the power line are scheduled to be online in mid-2011. And the new transmission line is needed to move power from that new plant to where it is needed across the region. The Progress Energy substation located on the Army base serves as a critical hub to other electric facilities that provide reliable delivery of electricity to communities throughout the region.

Many transmission lines in the region are overloaded or will become overloaded in the near future due to continuing growth throughout the region and the addition of new power-generating facilities to serve that growth. On average 25,000 to 30,000 new homes and businesses are added to Progress Energy Carolinas’ system every year, including customers throughout the Sandhills.

Hoke County, for example, is forecast to nearly double in population by 2030, according to state estimates. Hoke is projected to have the state’s second fastest growth rate between 2010 and 2030, growing to nearly 80,000 people. Meanwhile, the average new home is larger than ever, and the typical household uses about 50 percent more electricity today than just three decades ago.

The new transmission line is needed to ensure that the region does not suffer blackouts or other reliability issues that have plagued parts of the country in recent years. Having a reliable transmission system provides benefits not only to Progress Energy customers, but also to customers of rural electric co-operatives and municipally owned electric utilities.

The selected route must be approved by the N.C. Utilities Commission, which uses its own strenuous review process – one designed to balance the needs of the region, community and individual.

Remaining schedule

In the coming months, Progress Energy Carolinas will file with the N.C. Utilities Commission for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to build and maintain the transmission line. Acquisition of the transmission line easements is scheduled to begin in mid-2008 and continue until mid-2009. Clearing for the line will begin in mid-2009. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2010 and to be completed by mid-2011. Plant construction is scheduled to begin in 2009 and be completed in 2011. Project schedules are best estimates based on available growth information and other data. Schedules are subject to change due to a variety of factors.

The new transmission line will be built on 100-foot-wide property easements. Progress Energy evaluated a number of routing options to determine the route that poses the least overall impact (to property owners, the environment, cultural and natural resources, etc.). Current construction plans call for the line to be suspended on steel or concrete pole structures (some with guy wires and some without). The poles are generally 80 to 110 feet above ground and spaced 500 to 700 feet apart, depending on terrain. Easements enable Progress Energy to build and maintain the line. Property owners retain ownership of the land, with some restrictions on its use.

In addition to enhancing electric system reliability and relieving overloading on existing transmission lines, the project also will generate additional property tax revenues for the counties in which it is built.

Part of a balanced solution to meeting future needs

The project is one of several major transmission system enhancements planned or under way throughout Progress Energy’s service area as part of the company’s plan to ensure a continuous, reliable flow of electricity to customers. Building and maintaining state-of-the-art power plants and delivery systems is a key component of a balanced solution to meeting future energy needs – along with increased energy efficiency and investments in renewable energy technologies.

Selected route

• View Map
    1 MB