If you lived here in 2018, you remember Hurricane Florence. Some Four County EMC members went up to 14 days without power, and the storm caused $12.5 million in damage to our system. A major federal investment will now help make sure the lines serving rural Columbus and Bladen counties are built to stand up to the next big storm.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Four County EMC to receive up to $23.2 million through its SPARK initiative. The money will fund Project LIFT, short for Line Infrastructure for Tomorrow, a nearly $31 million effort to rebuild and modernize critical transmission infrastructure in our region.

A Rare National Selection

SPARK stands for Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades. DOE announced 31 SPARK selections across 26 states, totaling $1.9 billion in federal funding. Four County EMC is one of only four small utilities in the country chosen under the program’s Grid Resilience category.

“We are deeply grateful to the Department of Energy for this generational investment in the rural communities of Columbus and Bladen counties,” said Don Gatton, CEO of Four County EMC. “Project LIFT will strengthen our grid against the hurricanes our members know too well and open the door to new jobs and growth, without placing the full cost on our members’ bills.”

What Project LIFT Will Build

The heart of the project is a rebuild of 33.8 miles of the transmission lines in Bladen and Columbus counties. Crews will upfit all components of the transmission corridor, including replacing aging wooden poles with engineered steel poles rated for 130 mph winds. The new line will also carry 67% to 93% more capacity than the one it replaces.

The project adds new transformers at the Kelly and Powell substations, too. That work relieves a long-standing capacity limit in the area.

What It Means For You

Steel poles built for hurricane-force winds mean a sturdier backbone for the homes, farms and businesses that depend on this line.

Once negotiations with DOE are final, federal funding would cover 75% of Project LIFT’s cost. Without this grant, members would carry far more of the cost of this mandatory upgrade, and without this upgrade, vulnerabilities in our grid could become real issues during severe weather.

Together, the line and substation upgrades will make room for up to 104 megawatts of new industrial and commercial load. That gives one of North Carolina’s most economically vulnerable rural regions the power it needs to attract new employers and jobs.