U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm announced today that the Department of Energy (DOE) will allocate $57 million in cost-share funding to the North Carolina Innovative Transmission Rebuild project. This initiative, involving Duke Energy, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and the State Energy Office, aims to enhance the 230-kV Lee-Milburnie transmission line. The upgrade will improve reliability and address the growing electricity demand in eastern North Carolina.
Duke Energy North Carolina state president Kendal Bowman praised the grant, highlighting its role in reducing outages, strengthening resilience against extreme weather, connecting more clean energy sources, and generating job opportunities.
The Lee-Milburnie line, extending from the Greater Raleigh area to Goldsboro, will be rebuilt within the existing right of way to limit community impact.
Scott Batson, Duke Energy’s senior vice president and chief power grid officer, emphasized that the funding will boost grid reliability and deliver affordable, clean energy.
This grant comes from the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program, which is part of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program combines federal and private investments to enhance grid infrastructure, resilience, and economic development.
Granholm noted that the funding will support North Carolina’s grid resiliency efforts, improve reliability, and meet electricity demand while creating local jobs.
The project will also stimulate local economic development, with significant investments in workforce development at Nash Community College and North Carolina A&T State University. It is expected to create around 550 new jobs, particularly benefiting partnerships with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and community colleges.
Lew K. Hunnicutt, President of Nash Community College, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, anticipating its positive impact on the community through new job opportunities.
