“This new substation and transmission line are necessary due to the rapid growth of new homes and businesses in the area,” said Jim Hicks, Duke Power senior vice president, electric transmission. “Our thorough long-range planning process monitors and tracks growth in population and electrical demand and indicates a strong need for this addition. We have held four public meetings with the community about our proposals, and have included the information gathered in our selection process.”

The Interstate 85 corridor in Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg counties is among the most rapidly growing regions in South Carolina.

The Fork Shoals substation will be built on Fork Shoals Road in west Simpsonville.

The new 100,000-volt transmission line corridor will be about nine miles long and was selected after a comprehensive study of the environmental, cultural, land use, water quality, economic and aesthetic data collected from more than 14 different corridor options. The corridor will be 68 feet wide, and surveying of these properties will begin in late April.

Duke Power has held four public meetings in the Simpsonville and Mauldin areas to provide information about the substation and transmission line, to gather input and to answer questions from interested neighbors and customers. Owners of properties adjacent to the selected corridor are being notified this week.

Duke Power, a business unit of Duke Energy, is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities and provides safe, reliable, competitively priced electricity to approximately two million customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. Duke Power operates three nuclear generating stations, eight coal-fired stations, 31 hydroelectric stations and numerous combustion turbine units. Total system generating capability is approximately 17,800 megawatts. More information about Duke Power is available on the Internet at: www.dukepower.com. 

Duke Energy is a diversified multinational energy company with an integrated network of energy assets and expertise. The company manages a dynamic portfolio of natural gas and electric supply, delivery and trading businesses – meeting the energy needs of customers throughout North America and in key markets around the world. Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.