By 2010, customer growth in Chatham and Lee counties and the surrounding area is expected to exceed current electric system capacity. Additional constraints on the existing electric transmission system in this region, coupled with significant growth in population and electricity usage, have prompted the need for Progress Energy to upgrade its transmission facilities.

Progress Energy is investing about $29 million in building a new transmission line between the company's Cape Fear Plant and a new substation near Siler City. The upgrades will enhance system reliability for consumers throughout the region, including customers of local electric co-ops as well as Progress Energy customers.

Progress Energy is committed to the health and safety of the people and communities we serve. Public safety will be paramount throughout this process.

Project Description

Progress Energy will construct a 26-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line between the Progress Energy Cape Fear Plant, near Moncure, and a new transmission substation in the Siler City area. The substation will be adjacent to an existing Progress Energy substation.

Selected Route

After an extensive assessment of available options and numerous criteria, Progress Energy selected a route for the transmission line over portions of Chatham and Lee counties. In September 2002, the N.C. Utilities Commission approved Progress Energy's plan and issued a certificate of environmental compatibility and public convenience and necessity.

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• Letter To Area Residents Announcing Selected Route
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Schedule

• Information meetings: Sept. 18, 19, 20, 25, 27
• Route selection: fall 2001
• Right-of-way acquisition: summer 2002
• Clearing and grading for new substation: summer 2002
• NCUC approval of selected route: September 2002
• New substation in service: summer 2003
• ROW clearing for the line: fall 2006 
• Line construction begins: fall 2008 
• New line and substation in service: summer 2010

Benefits to the Community

• Improve power quality and reliability in the area. Having a substation closer to the homes and businesses it serves typically means a reduction in the frequency and duration of power outages.   
• Ensure continued economic prosperity for the region. Maintaining a robust system for supplying and delivering electricity is integral in sustaining economic growth.   
• Generate an estimated $132,000 in additional annual property tax revenue for local governments.

Land Acquisition

Progress Energy land agents will work individually with property owners to purchase easements for the new line. This line requires 100 feet of right of way, 50 feet on both sides of the line. Progress Energy negotiates individually for easements, and landowners retain ownership of the property with some limitations on use of the right-of-way land.

Public Participation

Progress Energy believes public participation is critical to the success of the project. Among other communication initiatives, the company conducted five public information meetings in the area to be served by the transmission facilities. The purpose of these meetings was to provide information on the scope and schedule of the project and to gather pertinent information from property owners and others on the proposed route. The N.C. Utilities Commission also held a public hearing as part of its review process. For more information, contact Progress Energy at (919) 545-3250.

Overhead Versus Underground

Progress Energy investigated the possibility of putting the line underground. The reliability of underground transmission lines is a major question across the United States, as relatively few have been constructed. A fault in a buried line, caused by a manufacturing defect or an accidental dig-in, would take much longer to locate and repair than a similar fault in an overhead line. Other adverse factors regarding underground transmission lines are the effects they can have on wetlands and soil erosion and the decreased electrical capacity they can carry.