Shooting Creek, North Carolina (Clay County)

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Why did TVA not include a route option along the Hwy 64 Corridor?

This option was evaluated during TVA’s initial routing study and was not advanced as an alternate route. In response to subsequent community input, TVA revisited and conducted a more detailed assessment of this approach. Following that additional review, TVA determined that routing a new 161 kV transmission line along Hwy 64 is not feasible.

This decision was made due to the considerable design, construction, maintenance and outage constraints it would involve, both for TVA and Blue Ridge Mountain EMC. Also, the Hwy 64 Corridor route presents risks associated with potential widening of Hwy 64 in the future. Additionally, highway right-of-way corridors are typically more suited for smaller-scale utilities (lower-voltage electric, gas, water, sewer, etc.) that don’t have the easement footprint of high-voltage transmission lines.

Further details on why TVA determined this was not a feasible option are below:

• Dense development along the highway – homes, businesses and other structures make it a difficult choice as TVA would impact each of these to build lines. Existing homes and other permanent structures would have to be removed to accommodate a 100-ft right-of-way.
• Future highway projects could force expensive relocations – if the road is widened later, the line would likely have to be moved. In terms of moving lines, TVA would have to relocate our lines and possibly encroach on additional houses/buildings or re-route the line altogether at a significant cost to TVA and its customers.
• Highway corridors are better utilized by utilities such as local electric (lower voltage), gas or water lines. This is due to the smaller footprint of their easements, thus resulting in a lesser impact on adjacent infrastructure.
• Currently, BRMEMC has existing poles they utilize for power distribution along the Hwy 64 Corridor. The notion of TVA sharing routes with BRMEMC would require outages during construction and maintenance – their line would need to be taken out of service during construction and maintenance. This would create lengthy disruptions in service, meaning power outages for homes and businesses in the area.

Does TVA plan to assess whether a route option across the bottom of Lake Chatuge is possible?

Yes. While TVA’s initial review of this option determined that this was not a feasible path forward, TVA has agreed that a more comprehensive review would be beneficial to the process. TVA will undertake a further study before moving forward.

TVA’s initial review, based on industry data and standards, found that building an underwater transmission line can cost five times more per mile than an overhead line. Over the life of the asset, underwater transmission lines can potentially cost ten times more than overhead lines due to complex and expensive inspection, maintenance and repairs. Additionally, this option would require impacts to recreation on and around the lake during construction and maintenance. Since recreation is a major economic factor in the area (tourism, boating, fishing, and other lake-related activities), this option was not determined to be a viable choice.

However, TVA will engage experienced, independent consultants to study and provide an assessment of not only cost but also:

• Construction feasibility and the logistical and technical challenges associated with underwater installation;
• Environmental impacts;
• Schedule impacts for meeting the reliability needs of Blue Ridge Mountain EMC.
• Potential effects on recreation and public use of the lake; and
• Impacts to surrounding property owners, including any restrictions that may need to be placed on property surrounding the underground portion of the transmission line during and after construction and maintenance activities.

This information will help inform next steps as TVA moves toward the determination of a preferred route for the Shooting Creek Transmission Line Project. TVA’s commitment is to deliver a project that best serves Blue Ridge Mountain EMC and Clay County’s energy needs while being mindful of community, environmental and financial impacts.

What are the cost comparisons for building Transmission lines?

Thus far, TVA’s cost comparisons for building Transmission lines have aligned with general industry findings that:

• Overhead power lines (on poles or towers) are the most cost-effective way to build a 161 kV transmission line—about $1–3 million per mile.
• Buried cables on land (underground power) cost much more—4 to 10 times more than overhead lines. This additional cost is due to digging trenches and protecting the cable, which adds complexity, time and cost.
• Underwater cables (submarine) are the most expensive—9 to 11 times higher than overhead lines. The cost of installation and lifetime maintenance costs add to this amount.
• Even if an underwater line is considerably shorter than an overhead line, the installation and lifetime maintenance costs for the underwater line remain considerably higher. This is because construction timelines for underwater cables are considerably longer, inspection and maintenance costs over the lifetime of the underwater line are much higher, and maintenance outages are lengthier.

Note: Since TVA’s initial review ruled out the above two options (Hwy 64 Corridor and under Lake Chatuge), no property owners who would have been affected by these two route options have been contacted.

Is this project related to future plans for data centers or crypto loads?

Neither TVA nor Blue Ridge Mountain EMC has plans for a data center or crypto load in this area.

Is a project of this scale needed to support the current and future load forecasts in the area?

Yes. The new 161-kV line also provides needed voltage support on TVA’s system. In addition, the new Shooting Creek substation will reduce the length of new distribution lines needed to serve the area.