NCDEQ breaks ground on $6.3M electric grid resilience project in Cumberland, Sampson counties

MAGNOLIA, N.C. (WNCN) — Work has begun on a $6.3 million project intended to strengthen the resilience of electrical grids in eastern Cumberland and Sampson counties, state officials said.

Read more Prosecutors seek to seal pretrial motions in UNC student Faith Hedgepeth’s murder case

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality State Energy Office and Four County Electric Membership Corporation broke ground on the project in Magnolia on May 15, which state officials said will benefit the cooperative’s members in eastern North Carolina by strengthening reliability, improving storm resilience, and protecting long-term affordability.

Known as Project Strengthening Transmission Efficiency and Enhancing Lifespan (STEEL), according to NCDEQ, the project will replace the electrical lines with wooden poles that were constructed in 1968. The new, stronger engineered steel structures are designed to better withstand severe weather.

According to NCDEQ, the project will also provide larger conductors, a stronger system design, and strengthened infrastructure with a lifespan expected to exceed 75 years and support future energy demands.

State officials said the project will result in fewer and shorter power outages, better performance from the system during severe weather, less long-term maintenance expenses, and more infrastructure durability.

“As eastern NC faces more frequent and extreme weather, future-proofing the electric grid is critical,” State Energy Office Director Julie Woosley said in a statement. “Since 2025, DEQ has leveraged nearly $30 million in federal, state and local funds to make grid resilience investments, including the project we broke ground on today.

Read more Denny Hamlin doing his homework to stay on top of NASCAR heading into Coca-Cola 600

“These investments will harden the system, enhance reliability, and ensure North Carolinians experience fewer and shorter power outages,” she continued in her statement.

Cumberland and Sampson counties are among the members of Four County EMS. Also served are Bladen, Columbus, Duplin, Onslow, and Pender counties, according to NCDEQ.

NCDEQ said it awarded $2.9 million to Four County EMC to help fund the project through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Resilience of the Electric Grid Formula Grants for States and Tribes.

“At Four County EMC, our responsibility is to serve our members well — not just today, but for future generations,” Four County EMC CEO Don Gatton said in a statement. “This investment reflects our commitment to being wise stewards of our members’ resources by strengthening the electric system families, farms, and businesses depend on every day, while also leveraging critical grant funding to reduce costs for the people we serve.

“This project is not simply about replacing infrastructure—it is about preparing the electric grid for the future while preserving the cooperative’s mission and State’s goal of providing affordable, reliable service,” he said in his statement.

Read more FIFA signs another World Cup sponsor deal with the gambling industry