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Attachment 7 <br /> 17 <br /> Piedmont EMC - New Hope Project <br /> What is the New Hope Project? <br /> Piedmont EMC needs to build a new substation and transmission line in the New Hope <br /> area to provide continued reliable and affordable service to current and future customers. <br /> Why does Piedmont EMC need to build this project? <br /> Over the last five years demand for electricity in the area has grown at an average of <br /> 11.5 % per year. Demand for electricity is expected to continue to grow. We need to <br /> build a new substation and transmission line to enable us to continue delivering reliable <br /> electric service now and in the future. <br /> Once the need to upgrade service was determined,what options did Piedmont EMC <br /> consider to accomplish that goal? <br /> We examined three possible options: <br /> 1. We could add capacity to our existing circuits by increasing the size of the wires. <br /> 2. We could increase the voltage of the existing lines. <br /> 3. We could build a new substation and transmission line. <br /> After careful study, we determined that options 1 and 2 were temporary solutions that <br /> would only briefly delay the need for the new substation and transmission line. We <br /> selected Option 3 because it was the least-cost solution to handle the load growth and <br /> provide the highest reliability to our customers. <br /> Was the zoning of the service area considered in the electrical growth projections? <br /> Yes. We used zoning data provided to us by Orange County. This particular service area, <br /> which is zoned primarily rural buffer, contains 100 vacant lots in existing subdivisions. <br /> These lots, coupled with 3,200 acres of undeveloped land, represent the potential for 600- <br /> 1,600 additional residential services. <br /> Where will the substation be located? <br /> The substation will be located just south of the intersection of New Hope Church Road <br /> and NC-86. This location is in the center of the affected service area and is convenient to <br /> our existing circuits. <br /> How will power get to this new substation? <br /> We intend to build a transmission line to connect the new substation and our existing <br /> transmission line which runs to the south and east of the supply area. We examined <br /> alternatives to this plan, including connecting to Duke Power transmission lines in the <br /> area. These alternatives were determined to be either too intrusive or not technically <br /> feasible. <br />