Reems Creek Reliability Project

Current Project Activity

Over the coming months, project neighbors may notice increased field crews on the substation property and the transmission line corridor that connects from the new substation. You may see surveying, staking, underground utility locations and limited vegetation clearing to conduct this work.

At Duke Energy, we are committed to making continuous improvements that expand the delivery of more reliable and cleaner energy to our customers in the Weaverville and south Asheville area.

Project at a glance

The project:
- Construct a new substation off Aiken Road in Weaverville, NC
- Build a new transmission line from the new substation to connect to an existing line south of Shadow Drive
- Upgrade the existing transmission line (completed May 2023)
- The new substation will feed distribution upgrades currently taking place in the area. These upgrades create a self-healing network improving grid reliability for surrounding customers.
- New Substation and Transmission Line Construction start: Summer 2023
Project area: Weaverville, Buncombe County
Voltage: 115 kilovolts
Project completion/closeout: Summer 2024

Featured Links

Questions?
Call 800.952.0414
Email: MountainRegion@duke-energy.com

Community Meeting Presentation

Learn more about preconstruction activities

Learn more about the Energy Superhighway

Timeline

Project planning and design through 2022
Preconstruction activities (surveying, vegetation removal, soil borings) – Spring 2021 to Fall 2022
Grading and Clearing – Fall 2022 to Summer 2023
Start of construction – Summer 2023
Project completion – Summer 2024

Watch Videos to Discover More

The Energy Superhighway‌
Learn about the importance of transmission infrastructure and how it plays a vital role in powering our communities.
Preconstruction Activities‌
Learn what occurs during the preconstruction phase of an electric transmission project.
Vegetation Management‌
See why it’s important to keep easement areas free and clear of any vegetation.

Benefits for the Community

Grid Improvement
Helps power homes, community facilities and businesses in Weaverville.
Reliability
Helps accommodate fluctuating demand and improve resiliency during severe weather.
Economic Growth
Addresses the need for additional electric capacity in Weaverville.

View Community Meeting Presentation

A virtual community meeting was held on May 5, 2022, to provide details about the Reems Creek New Electric Substation. Duke Energy offers the presentation below as a resource for attendees and those who could not make the event.

View the Presentation‌

Frequently Asked Questions

Engineers and planners use growth and energy usage projections, as well as continuous monitoring of the electric system, to identify the need for improvements to the system that serves our customers in Buncombe County. Since it can take several years to plan, develop, engineer and construct a project, we begin the process in advance to ensure the new facilities are in place and ready to meet customers’ energy needs.
For Customers south of Lake Louise down to Reems Creek Road, along Merrimon Avenue, including AB Emblem, Quarry Rd, Banks Town Rd, and portions of Aiken Rd, will experience short, planned outages as part of the substation energization. The feeder load that will be transferred from Weaverville substation to the new Reems Creek station will require a planned outage to replace each service transformer during construction, and an additional planned outage to switch over the load after the substation is energized. We will notify customers in advance of these short duration outages.

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact our Public Engagement team by phone at 800.952.0414 or by email MountainRegion@duke-energy.com if you have questions or concerns.

Additional Resources

Here is more background and detailed information about the Reems Creek Reliability Project. These may help answer your questions.