Landrum City Council and the Henderson County N.C. Board of Commissioners approved resolutions Tuesday opposing the project.
Duke announced in May it plans to spend $320 million to construct a 230-kilovolt transmission line to a substation that would be built off Interstate 26 near Campobello. It’s part of a larger project to convert the coal-burning Asheville plant to natural gas. Duke is scheduled to released its preferred route for the line in early October. The construction could begin in November 2017 and be completed by August 2019.
Landrum’s resolution requests Duke to carefully consider the impact of the project and to locate the lines outside of Spartanburg County. The resolution also suggests the line would adversely affect the rural atmosphere and natural beauty of the area and affect tourism revenue.
“Our resolution urges Duke to rethink the whole project,” Landrum Mayor Bob Briggs said.
Henderson County’s resolution states that the line would have negative impacts on property owners and the local economy.
Spartanburg County and Polk County N.C. councils also have passed resolutions against the project.
The line’s proposed routes include areas in Greenville and Spartanburg counties and areas in North Carolina.
Landrum city administrator Caitlin Cothran said Wednesday residents have expressed concerns about the project’s impact on the economy. Landrum councilmen Johnny Carruth and Randy Wohnig were not present at the meeting Tuesday. The resolution was unanimously approved by the council members present.
“The resolution gets us on the record that we are not in agreement with the project,” Cothran said.
Last month, public hearings were held by the state Public Service Commission in Landrum and by the N.C. Utilities Commission in Flat Rock. Duke’s plan requires approval from the commissions to move forward. Duke plans to file an application for the project with the state Public Service Commission later this year or early next year.
Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier said the new substation and transmission line would improve the connection between Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas systems. The construction of the substation, if approved, would begin in 2016 and completed in August 2019, Mosier said.
“Building the substation will help prevent future outages, enhance reliability and capacity especially during extreme weather events and support future residential, commercial and industrial growth in the surrounding region,” Mosier said.
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