Interested in the Duke Energy transmission line project? In July, Duke Energy announced a proposal to run a 230-kilovolt transmission line from a planned tie-in station from Campobello to Asheville, where a natural gas-fired plant is expected to replace a coal-fired plant at Lake Julian in about 2020.
According to an article in the Citizen-Times, the power company released several possible routes for the proposed lines, which would be strung from latticed towers averaging 140-feet tall. Duke is expected to designate a single route in early October and begin the process of seeking approval for that infrastructure.
This week, on Thursday, September 3, the public will have an opportunity to ask Duke representatives about proposed transmission lines in an informational session. The announcement comes amid often fierce and vocal opposition to the project, with several town councils and county commissions passing resolutions against transmission lines traversing their jurisdictions.
The Utilities Commission public staff is expected to ask Duke representatives about the process, criteria, and timeline used when siting transmission lines…but you can also have a voice. Duke is accepting public comment through August 31. Those comments can be submitted online to the company at http://dukeenergyfoothillsproject.power-viz.com/. You can also attend the meeting, which is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on September 3 at Blue Ridge Community College’s Auditorium (The address of the campus is 180 W. Campus Drive, Flat Rock. The auditorium is in the Sink Building.)
HensonFuerst will be watching the results of this meeting carefully. We stand up for the rights of individuals whose property is threatened by big public works projects like this. If your land is in the proposed path of the transmission line, feel free to give us a call at 800-452-9633 to speak with one of our experienced eminent domain attorneys. Or visit our website at http://www.NCLandLawyer.com for more information.