After court battle, N.C. power upgrades to start soon

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. 

With a court battle apparently over, Dominion North Carolina Power expects to start constructing new power lines along the highway here within about a month.

But the company will suspend construction temporarily before the summer.

"We do not want in any way to have an adverse effect on the tourism season," company spokesman Chuck Penn said last week.

In September 2008, as it was supposed to begin, the $9 million transmission line upgrade was halted by a court-ordered stay granted to the town of Kill Devil Hills.

The town had contended that Dominion's plans to erect 85-foot electric poles and lines along the U.S. 158 Bypass violated the town ordinance that restricts multiple utility corridors.

A year earlier, the state Utilities Commission ruled that the town had no jurisdiction to decide the location of power lines. The town then filed an appeal.

Last month, the state Supreme Court affirmed the commission's order.

In earlier interviews, town Mayor Ray Sturza said the power company already runs transmission lines along the sound in Kill Devil Hills, and there were concerns that the additional poles would create an aesthetic blight, especially near the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Sturza was vacationing and unavailable for comment last week.

Assistant Town Manager Shawn Murphy said there has been no discussion about pursuing any further challenge to the project.

"My impression is that's the end of it," he said about the court's ruling.

The nine-month project involves installation of 88 steel poles for high-voltage lines along seven miles of the bypass from Kitty Hawk to Nags Head.

According to Dominion representatives, the improvement will double the available electrical capacity for the 35,000 customers on the Outer Banks and broaden the ability to reroute power during outages. More than 120,000 customers in northeastern North Carolina are served by Dominion, which also provides power to electric cooperatives on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.

In the peak summer season, the number of customers on the barrier islands swells from the year-round base of about 30,000 to about 300,000.

Penn said Dominion is pleased it will be able to proceed with the upgrade.

"This project is needed," he said, "in order to meet the growing demand for power on the Outer Banks."

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com