To meet the growing demand for electrical service in western Johnston County, Duke Energy will be locating a new electrical substation at the intersection of Polenta Road and Matthews Road in the Cleveland area.
Duke says the new substation on a 21 acre parcel of land near the busy intersection will help the power company keep up with demand caused by growth in the area as well as provide more reliable service to the community.
No one spoke in opposition of the request at the Johnston County Commissioners meeting on Aug. 6th but one person did express concerns at the July planning board meeting.
Commissioners approved two variances to landscaping requirements for safety reasons. The county had requested an 8 foot screened fence around the substation. Duke was okay with the fencing requirement but requested the fence not be screened so electrical workers could easily see inside the facility to detect any problems before entering. Secondly, the county approved a variance on the location of trees required for a landscaped buffer at the site so that no trees would be located within 150 feet of transmission lines.
The substation equipment will be more than 200 feet from all property adjacent.
