Duke Energy to announce its recommended route for Foothills Transmission Line in early October

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy will announce its recommended route for a new transmission line between Campobello, S.C., and Asheville, N.C., in early October, three months earlier than originally planned, the company announced today.

Duke Energy has been considering a series of possible "line segments" for the new approximately 40-mile transmission line to ensure environmental and community impacts could be minimized as much as possible.

"We've been listening closely to potentially impacted communities and landowners along the study routes and have heard overwhelmingly from them the need to expedite the review process to reduce the period of uncertainty for selecting the final route," said Robert Sipes, Duke Energy's Western North Carolina regional general manager. "We've expanded our team, accelerated  the schedule and are committing to complete our comprehensive process for route selection by early October.

"We welcome all input as this will be a transparent process to all interested parties.  We will fully consider all feedback and input as we finalize our route recommendation," Sipes said. "While we are expediting our decision, we are not sacrificing thoroughness."

The 230-kilovolt power line will connect the western Carolinas region and Duke Energy's new Asheville power plant to a substation to be built in Campobello, S.C. It is a key part of the company's $1.1 billion Western Carolinas modernization project that includes replacing Asheville coal plant with a new natural gas power plant.

The project will significantly reduce emissions and water use and help meet the growing power demand in the Western Carolinas. Based on current natural gas prices, it will also produce electricity 35 percent less expensively and significantly enhance long-term power reliability in the region.

Duke Energy previously extended its public comment period on the route options to Aug. 31. Here is the company's website on the project: https://www.duke-energy.com/western-carolinas-modernization/foothills.asp

The company has held three public meetings on the project and received almost 3,000 comments to date.

Duke EnergyDuke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.3 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international energy business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. 

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SOURCE Duke Energy