The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) State Energy Office has selected seven projects to receive more than $20 million to improve North Carolina’s electric grid. The selected projects will update grid infrastructure to increase load capacity and resilience against severe weather, resulting in a more affordable and reliable electricity supply for North Carolinians.
“We know that storms will keep coming with increasing frequency and intensity, and it’s critical that we build more resiliently to strengthen our electric grid,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “These investments will help improve the grid’s resilience and reduce outage times.”
DEQ has selected the following 7 projects for funding following a competitive application process:
- The City of Wilson will strengthen and weatherize its electric grid by upgrading existing infrastructure, including replacing or reinforcing old and underperforming poles. The project, Wilson Community Resilience, will also ensure that distribution infrastructure can support both power and access to high-speed internet, providing benefits to rural areas in Wilson, Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt, Greene, Wayne and Johnston counties.
- The Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation’s Foothills Resiliency project will perform transmission and distribution upgrades to decrease natural hazard related outages by 35 percent. The project also aims to create access to high-speed internet in underserved rural communities in Stokes, Surry, Yadkin and Wilkes counties.
- The Four County Electric Membership Corporation project, known as Strengthening Transmission Efficiency and Enhancing Lifespan (STEEL), will upgrade the 55-year-old electric grid in Sampson County by replacing 116 wooden utility poles with steel poles and small conductors with larger ones.
- The Tideland Electric Membership Corporation’s Project Ocracoke Resiliency aims to reduce power outage time by installing underground electrical lines and equipment and relocating aerial lines to less disrupted areas. The project will also support Ocracoke’s existing microgrid to further increase resiliency and reliability.
- The Fayetteville Public Works Commission aims to improve the electric grid by replacing 480 wooden poles with steel poles, decreasing outage time and keeping electric costs low for residents in Fayetteville and throughout Cumberland County.
- Duke Energy’s Cherokee Area Resiliency and Environmental Safety (CAR-ES) project will transform the grid in two disadvantaged communities in the Cherokee area of Western North Carolina. CAR-ES aims to harden the grid and improve its ability to self-optimize and automate processes to reduce outage times and improve resilience.
- The City of Gastonia’s Strategic Upgrades for Resilient Grid Enhancements (SURGE) project will upgrade and enhance the grid with infrastructure and technology improvements. SURGE will replace vulnerable wood substation poles with durable steel poles and automate critical circuits to enhance the grid’s ability to self-heal during and after disruptive events.
“While these projects will enhance our grid, they will also benefit our communities by providing access to resilient and reliable energy and workforce development opportunities,” said Julie Woosley, Director of the DEQ State Energy Office.
Authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these funds are provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants Program. Over the next three years, the state anticipates receiving annual funding to improve the grid.
This program will help achieve the state’s goal of delivering reliable electricity at an affordable cost to residents.
DEQ State Energy Office
DEQ’s State Energy Office (SEO) is dedicated to ensuring a sustainable energy future for the residents of North Carolina. SEO provides services and technical expertise on energy efficiency in the public sector, encourages the growth and development of the state’s clean energy economy, and distributes grants to agencies and families to increase energy efficiency and reduce utility rates. SEO serves as the principal source of information for these energy areas.