Mebane, NC (July 11, 2017) – Piedmont Electric has energized the new Mebane Oaks Substation that serves the growing communities in Mebane, Efland and southwest Hillsborough.
“The new substation will improve power reliability for our members and help us serve new residential developments,” explained Larry Hopkins, Piedmont Electric’s Vice President of Engineering.
The Mebane Oaks Substation will support the existing Buckhorn Substation located near Mebane. The Buckhorn Substation is currently running near its peak capacity, and the addition of the new substation will allow for Piedmont Electric to keep up with the energy needs of the surrounding communities.
A substation transforms extremely high transmission voltages into voltage that can travel along distribution lines in the community. The electricity that comes from a transmission system is many times higher than a home can handle, so a substation steps down the power to a level that is safe to send to the transformer at your home.
“We have been planning for the construction of this substation for several years and will not need to increase rates because of its construction,” Hopkins stated. “We are committed to providing quality service to our members at the lowest cost possible.”
In 2016, Piedmont Electric kept the lights on for 99.98 percent of the year, and the addition of the Mebane Oaks substation will help improve reliability for the years to come.
Piedmont Electric is a local, member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 31,000 electric accounts in Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange and Person counties. Piedmont Electric exists to serve our members and improve the quality of life in our communities through local employment, economic development, business engagement, youth education, grants to educators, advocacy for energy issues, community involvement and emergency preparedness support. Visit www.pemc.coop for more information.
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