Power outage times expected to improve in Ocracoke

A project to reduce power outage time on Ocracoke was recently awarded state funding to improve North Carolina’s electric grid.

Tideland Electric Membership Corp.’s Project Ocracoke Resiliency will entail the installation of underground electrical lines and equipment, and relocating aerial lines to areas where they are less likely to be disrupted.

The project, which will also support the island’s microgrid to further increase resiliency and reliability, is one of seven in the state recently awarded more than $20 million from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s State Energy Office.

Projects selected for funding aim to update grid infrastructure and resilience against severe weather.

“We know that storms will keep coming with increasing frequency and intensity, and it’s critical that we build more resiliently to strengthen our electric grid,” Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said in a release. “These investments will help improve the grid’s resilience and reduce outage times.”

Other projects selected through the competitive application process include:

• Wilson Community Resilience project, which will benefit rural areas in Wilson, Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt, Greene, Wayne and Johnston counties.
• Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corp.’s Foothills Resiliency project, which includes upgrades to decrease natural hazard-related outages by 35%.
• The Four County Electric Membership Corp. project that entails upgrades to the 55-year-old electric grid in Sampson County.
• The Fayetteville Public Works Commission project to decrease outage time and maintain low customer costs by replacing 480 wooden poles with steel poles.
• Duke Energy’s Cherokee Area Resiliency and Environmental Safety, or CAR-ES, project to transform the grid in two disadvantaged communities in the Cherokee area of Western North Carolina.
• Gastonia’s Strategic Upgrades for Resilient Grid Enhancements, or SURGE, project, which will upgrade and enhance the grid with infrastructure and technology improvements.

“While these projects will enhance our grid, they will also benefit our communities by providing access to resilient and reliable energy and workforce development opportunities,” State Energy Office Director Julie Woosley said in a release.

Funds for the projects are provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Tribal Formula Grants Program, which was authorized by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The state anticipates receiving annual funding to improve North Carolina’s electric grid over the next three years, helping the state achieve its goal of delivering reliable electricity at an affordable cost.