Conway-Perry Road Transmission Line Project

The project will stretch from the Conway Switching Station to the Perry Rd Substation.

See Map

The overall length of the project is 9 miles.

Construction will begin in August of 2024 and is expected to conclude in April or May of 2025. There will be some connection work at the Conway Switching Station in late 2025 for a few days. Right-of-way re-establishment will begin in Aug. or early Sept. 2024 and end by the middle of Dec. 2024, if not sooner.

We are using new steel structures, built to modern codes and regulations for this region and wind zone. Many of the structures currently in place along this route are wood poles from 1952 and 1968, except for a few which were replaced for various reasons throughout the years.

This project will increase the amount of power able to the delivered in the system. As the population grows in this area, increasing the available power is critical both now and in the future. The new structures will be more resilient to storms and other natural disasters. The intent is to utilize existing right of way, so we only anticipate needing an extra 0.5 acre at the Perry Road Substation to complete this project and less than 0.1 acre at the Conway Switching Station. Overall, this project will deliver more power in a more reliable way.

The project is running slightly ahead of schedule for a Dec. 1, 2025, in service date. All permits have been received and work has begun.

We used existing right of way and a shorter route to lessen the impact to residents and stakeholders, and decrease distance, time and costs. There was a “Northern Option” of rebuilding the entire Conway to Perry Road line instead of the selected route (the “shortcut”) of using the existing Conway to Carolina Forest and then the existing Conway to Perry Road. This was not chosen because of increased cost and distance.

Landowner notifications were sent to people who share a boundary with the project in late 2022. We filed for all public permits that applied and have received those this spring. Another set of letters were sent to property owners who share a boundary with the project in the summer of 2024.

There are a few reasons why underground lines are not being considered for this project. Underground lines can be more intrusive to the environment, depending on where they’re placed, and it’s more intrusive to the environment when they need to be repaired. Underground lines typically cost more than the amount overhead lines cost, and they would take a much longer period of time to repair when there is an issue.

Yes. We considered five different scenarios for this project. The first was “no build.” This was not a viable option according to internal studies and growth in the area. The second was “greenfield”, which would have meant an entirely new line and entirely new right of way. Due to the densely populated area this project goes through and the sensitive environmental areas nearby, this would have been much more expensive project and impacted the environment much more. The third option was rebuilding all of Conway to Perry Road (what we referred to as the “Northern Option”). This would have resulted in a project that covered more distance, cost more, and impacted more stakeholders. The fourth option is considered the best option, using the existing Conway to Carolina Forest right to way to meet the existing Conway to Perry Road right of way. The fifth option was Bucksville to Perry Road, but almost all of that is wetlands and it would have been the most expensive of all of the options.

This project will use existing right of way and should only include the need to add less than 0.55 acre of land near the Perry Road Substation and Conway Switching Station.

With a rebuild on existing right of way such as this, impacts, if any, are much more limited than new construction. Several cultural, social, and environmental studies are in progress for the project currently. We will implement best management practices to protect freshwater and tidal wetlands. Besides the very small footprint of the replacing transmission poles, reestablishing our existing right of way, and identifying danger trees, no further impacts are expected along the route. The small 0.5-acre section near the Perry Road substation will be cleared to expand that station, which is about the size of one small house lot. That area is uninhabited.

Santee Cooper and our consultant, Burns and McDonnell, are in the process of complying fully with all regulatory requirements. Updates will be posted here as progress is made in this area. Our goal is to be fully permitted by Aug. 1, 2024, and Public Service Commission approval is expected no later than Jan. 31, 2024.

Questions can be sent to transmissionprojects@santeecooper.com.