Wilmington Northeast Reliability Project

Fostered by the expansion of Highway 17 and the future expansion of Military Cutoff Road, electric demand is growing northeast of Wilmington. Additional capacity on the electric distribution lines that serve area homes and businesses is needed. To meet this anticipated demand, a new substation and transmission line are planned.

The new substation will be built on Duke Energy-owned property located off Porters Neck Road. This station will house new technologies designed to enhance electric power reliability, increase available electricity and increase resiliency during severe weather events.

To power the substation, a new 4.6 mile, 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line will be constructed. The new transmission line will tie to the Castle Hayne-Folkstone 230-kV line.

View the selected route map.

Benefits to the community 

• Enhances Duke Energy's ability to provide safe and reliable energy to homes, community facilities and businesses in the area
• Addresses the need for additional electric capacity to continue delivering reliable power and meeting the growing energy needs of the region
• Improves the resiliency of the electric system during periods of changing demand and severe weather conditions

Next steps

• Property surveys and easement acquisition: Fall 2020 – Fall 2022
• Vegetation clearing for right of way: Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
• Substation construction: November 2022 – October 2023
• Line construction: January 2023 – November 2023
• Projected project completion date: December 2023
• Restoration completion: Spring 2024

Project to date

• An open house was held in January 2019 at the Scotts Hill Baptist Church.
• A community workshop was held at the Scotts Hill Baptist Church.
• Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) filing: June 2019
• CPCN order granted: January 2020
• The public comment period ended February 22, 2019. The public was able to share comments and questions by completing a survey.
• The project is currently in the construction phase for both the substation and line work. Anticipated completion: December 2023.