Ocracoke to be on Generator Power
The relocation is required to provide ample construction space for the North Carolina Department of Transportation as work begins to replace the Bonner Bridge at Oregon Inlet.
The initial conversion will take place on Wednesday, December 16 at 6:00 am during which time there will be a thirty minute outage in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and Buxton. All areas south of Buxton should not experience an interruption of service.
To ensure continuity of electric service, CHEC has leased three mobile generators to supplement the electricity supplied by the existing generating plants at Buxton and Ocracoke. The two generating plants can provide a combined power output of 18 megawatts. With the three mobile generators in place, total capacity has been increased to 24 megawatts. Records indicate that the islands’ combined energy needs seldom exceed 20 megawatts during December. Nevertheless, island residents and visitors are asked to conserve energy until transmission power is restored. This time of year, power is generally in greatest demand weekday mornings between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
In the event system demand nears rated generator capacity, the co-ops will issue alerts asking for emergency conservation efforts.
Tideland EMC serves 22,500 accounts in Beaufort, Hyde, Washington, Pamlico, Craven and Dare counties.
Original press release from Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative on 11/22/15:
Work on the Bonner Bridge will require that Ocracoke use generator power in mid-December.
Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, in cooperation with North Carolina Department of Transportation, will work to relocate the transmission cable south of Oregon Inlet to allow DOT needed space to begin construction of the Bonner Bridge replacement.
Crews will begin working on the site, just south of the bridge, beginning in late November. In order to complete the relocation, crews will have to cut the existing transmission cable, resulting in a transmission outage that will last several days.
During this work, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island will receive power from several diesel generators, including the plants in Buxton and Ocracoke, as well as three portable units. The transmission outage is tentatively scheduled for December 16 – 22.
Please note that these dates may shift as work progresses. The schedule for the transmission outage is subject to weather and the electric load of the islands.
Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island residents and visitors will be asked to conserve energy while the generators are serving the islands.
We will update you with additional information, as the dates get closer. We invite you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and www.CHEC.coop for updates and photos.
We are excited to take this first step to begin the long awaited Bonner Bridge replacement project.
