Duke Energy homes in on downtown Asheville substation site

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Asheville City Council on Tuesday postponed a discussion, and possible vote, on new regulations for utility substations in the city. That move comes as Duke Energy continues its search for downtown locations for new power substations.

Duke Energy hasn’t built a new substation to serve downtown since the 1970s, and over the past four years, it has looked at property near Dickson Elementary School and purchased property at 226 Hilliard Ave. and 131 McDowell Ave. (Duke has also announced that it plans to begin construction of a substation at the intersection of Mills Gap and Sweeten Creek Roads on the south end of town to serving the booming Bilmtore Park area.)

Manheimer said the location of a downtown Duke utility substation “is extremely challenging.” She said on Tuesday that Duke is still looking at the McDowell Avenue location, as well as the former Hunter Volvo car dealership location at the corner of Patton and Clingman avenues. She said that City Council should put off any discussion of new regulations as Duke is “engaging the community” with in-depth conversations. “The community and Duke need to come up with what they want,” she said.

Duke Energy now has the 252 Patton Ave. former car dealership site under contract. But just like the locations, it is problematic. The property is the western end of Patton Avenue’s downtown stretch, an area that serves as a gateway into downtown for traffic exiting off Interstate 240 as it travels across the Bowen Bridge heading eastward. The property sits on a rise at the corner of Clingman Avenue, which is also a corner serving as the gateway to the booming River Arts District. There’s a large new apartment complex under construction just across Clingman Avenue from the car dealership site, and the WECAN neighborhood is adjacent to the site.

Some residents want Duke Energy to build a substation powered by natural gas, an option that’s more expensive than traditional substation construction. Residents also have the same worries that residents expressed in opposing the elementary school location – worries about exposure to electromagnetic radiation, about electrocution and a catastrophic fire or explosion. Those dangers beg the question of buffering requirements, which is a key part of the ongoing discussions between Duke and residents.

2 Comments

Lynn Hall June 19, 2017 - 9:38 am

Jason, speaking as WECAN delegate engaged in this issue, I am glad to see you covering the story. There is one error in your description on the type of technology Duke has an option to use. Your story states the technology is a “transformer powered by natural gas”. The technology is actually Gas Insulated Substation (GIS). This GE youtube video provides some good general knowledge.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q025e5dW32c. This technology is some 50 years old and is 1/5 the size of the common air insulated substation like on Rankin Ave or on Desoto St in West Asheville.

Richie Peterson June 17, 2017 - 5:39 pm

Thanks for covering this developing story. As a resident of the WECAN neighborhood, I hope that our voice will be heard and concerns will be addressed. The latest technology that is available for substations must be utilized in an urban setting to reduce the footprint and scale of such a project. I think all residents understand the need for Duke to have additional capacity with a growing downtown, but Duke needs to find a solution that uses the least amount of valuable urban property. I hope our elected officials and residents will become engaged with Duke to make them aware that 1960’s technology will not be acceptable in 2017.

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