A new power transmission line route is being researched and planned by Duke Energy for the Carolina Foothills region.

In late June, approximately 3,700 Foothills residents received notice in the mail of a Duke Energy transmission reliability enhancement project, according to Ryan Mosier, Duke Energy’s senior communications consultant.

The letter to property owners, dated June 26, outlines the company’s plans to build a substation near Campobello, S.C., that will connect to Asheville’s power plant, using approximately 45 miles of 230-kilovolt transmission line, potentially running through Greenville and Spartanburg Counties in South Carolina and Buncombe, Henderson and Polk Counties in North Carolina. Property owners whose property lies within 500 feet of the center of potential routes being considered received the letter.

The transmission line project was first announced in May as one part of a $1.1 billion plan named the Western Carolinas Modernization Project. The project’s website details the company’s plans to retire Asheville’s 376-megawatt coal plant, replace it with a 650-megawatt natural gas power plant coupled with solar generation, build new transmission infrastructure and upgrade related substation infrastructure.

Duke Energy, in reaching out to those who may be affected by the proposed transmission line routes, has invited the public to informational hearings in Fletcher, N.C., Flat Rock, N.C. and Landrum, S.C.

According to Duke Energy’s letter, the open house format meetings will provide information and updated maps of potential line routes.

“This is a big deal,” Mosier said. “Feedback is crucial and will dictate the route, so we want a maximum turnout.”

Duke Energy siting experts will attend the meetings to answer questions.

The transmission line’s potential path resides in what Duke Energy has dubbed the study area. Hendersonville, Saluda, Tryon, Columbus and Landrum all fall within this study area.

Slated for completion in August of 2019, the power line will increase reliability in anticipation of future growth, according to Mosier.

Duke Energy expects a 15 percent increase in energy sales over the next 10 years, with an increase of nearly 50,000 homes and businesses in its service area each year. The Western Carolinas Modernization Project’s transmission upgrade comes as a $320 million investment that will boost the economy by creating approximately 800 jobs from 2017 to 2019, according to the project website.

Madelon Wallace, co-owner of Walker, Wallace and Emerson Realty in Landrum, said she fears a negative economic impact.

“Over the years, these towns have come together as the Carolina Foothills Community,” Wallace said. “We work very hard and are very passionate about the economics of this area.”

Wallace said the four main economic drivers for the area are tourism, horses, agriculture and wineries, all of which are powered by ambiance, views, open space and general feel of a small town surrounded by a rural community.

Wallace said she believes that the 230-kilovolt line will take away from what Landrum has to offer as the gateway to South Carolina.

“We would hope they would take the time to do some research and be sensitive to this community’s history, environment, economics and our concerns,” she said.

Wallace said she believes the line should stay as far away as possible from Tryon, Columbus and Landrum.

“This has the potential to obliterate the economics of the area, as close are they are putting it to Landrum,” she said. “We need to be a tight coalition on this, as we don’t want this to divide the community.”

Columbus resident Rebecca Kemp received one of the 3,700 letters and was immediately concerned.

A retired agent with the Environmental Protection Agency, Kemp said, “I’m troubled about personal financial loss due to decreased property values, as I am retired and could not recover.”

She added, “I fear that political inequality will lead to a location where people don’t have the economic or political means to fight it.”

The first public hearing will take place from 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher.

Landrum Middle School’s gymnasium will be the site of a second meeting, Tuesday, July 21, from 4–7 p.m.

The third meeting will take place at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock on Thursday, July 23, also from 4–7 p.m.

According to Duke Energy’s letter, the final route will be announced in the fall, after providing time for community input and further study to determine feasibility.

For more information on Duke Energy’s Western Carolinas Modernization Project, call 800-820-9359, email WCModernization@duke-energy.com, or visit www.duke-energy.com/western-carolinas-modernization. For more information on the company’s transmission projects, call 888-238-0373, or email WCTransmissionEnhancements@duke-energy.com.