CAMPOBELLO, SC (FOX Carolina) –
A new power transmission line route is being researched and planned by Duke Energy and some people in the Carolina Foothills are speaking out against the idea of adding a giant power line in their community.
Duke Energy plans to retire their coal power plant in Asheville and upgrading to natural gas and solar energy, but it could negatively impact some conservation easements near the North Carolina-South Carolina border.
The proposed transmission line will potentially run through Buncombe, Henderson and Polk counties in North Carolina as well as Greenville and Spartanburg counties in South Carolina.
Something that hundreds of homeowners like Sally Rock would like to avoid having in their back yards.
“What the power line proposes is a major threat to undo and unravel all of this effort and destroy what you see is a virtually pristine area that is affectionally known as the foothills,” Rock said.
Campobello resident Bob Then was one of the 3,700 Carolina Foothills residents who received letters from Duke Energy about the project, because his home is within 500 feet of the potential route.
“When I got the letter I was very concerned not only for the aesthetics, but also health issues and water issues,” Then said.
The company is considering building a new substation in northern Spartanburg County that will connect to their Asheville power plant.
“This little river valley has some of the most historically significant sights in upper Spartanburg County,” resident Joanne Quantannens said. “We certainly feel that the study area is very narrowly drawn and it zeros in on some of the most environmentally sensitive land, some of the most historically significant land and some of the most economically productive land.”
The Western Carolinas Modernization Project is a part of duke’s plan to retire their coal power plant and switch to cleaner energy.
“We are looking at a comprehensive project for the Western Carolinas that would improve reliability and support customer growth in the years to come,” Duke Energy Senior Communication Consultant Ryan Mosier said.
The project is slated for completion in 2019 and Duke Energy says it will provide hundreds of jobs during development, but homeowners in the Carolina Foothills say it would wreck their property values and tourism.
“It could have a terrible economic impact on us,” homeowner Madelon Wallace said. “Our major economic driver in this area is horses, tourism, wineries and agriculture…and we worked very hard over the years to build a strong economy in this area centered around those things.”
Duke Energy will hold three public meetings on the company’s plans to construct a 45-mile high-voltage power line from Asheville, N.C., to a Campobello substation. The final route will be announced in the fall.
The meetings are as follows:
July 14, 4-7 p.m.
Western North Carolina Agricultural Center Boone Mountain Heritage Building
1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher, N.C.
July 21, 4–7 p.m.
Landrum Middle School Gymnasium
104 Redland Road, Landrum, SC
July 23, 4–7 p.m.
Blue Ridge Community College,
Technology Education and Development Center: Blue Ridge Conference Hall
180 W. Campus Drive, Flat Rock, N.C.
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