Photo courtesy of Dominion Energy
Around here, we love connections.
In addition to connecting our members to safe and reliable services, South Carolina’s electric cooperatives connect with community organizations like chambers of commerce, economic development commissions, charities and school districts to better serve our communities. On occasion, we even partner with other utilities to improve your quality of life.
Sometimes those good connections lead to even better disconnections.
That was the case with the consumer exchange that occurred between Dominion Energy and Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative last October. Following discussions between the two utilities, approximately 55 Dominion Energy customers in the Leesville community of Riverbend Point at the western end of Lake Murray became members of Mid-Carolina Electric, putting them close to one of the cooperative’s substations and improving the reliability of their service.
Dominion Energy then cut down spans of wire—one as long as 1,700 feet—hanging 40 feet above the Saluda River, improving the public’s safety along the popular waterway.
This exchange of territory is rare but not unprecedented in the utility sector. And although efficiency of service was an important factor, the safety of the public and of lineworkers was the primary reason Mid-Carolina Electric agreed to the exchange. Delivering power safely in rural areas is hard enough. Water as an additional obstacle makes maintaining the power grid even more hazardous.
It doesn’t happen often, but when boats come in contact with power lines that hang above waterways, the results can be tragic. One such accident claimed the life of Palmetto Electric Cooperative’s general manager nearly 40 years ago when his sailboat mast struck a power line near Daufuskie Island.
Water crossings are often the only way of delivering power to homes and businesses on islands, around lakes and across rivers, but they increase the risk to lineworkers. Because water crossings require taller poles and heavier lines, outage restoration and maintenance can be difficult. Although not the case with Dominion Energy’s recently eliminated span, a pole in the middle of the water is sometimes required to get power to an island or peninsula. The climbs up those poles from the comparatively less stable platform of a boat can be perilous.
It’s not that lines built over water are unsafe. They meet the codes required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which regulates infrastructure along navigable waters. They hang high above so that almost all vessels can pass under them.
It’s not that lineworkers from cooperatives, Dominion Energy or any other utility are unable to do the work necessary to maintain or restore the power delivered over water crossings. Our crews have the experience and skills to get the job done while adhering to our industry’s strict safety standards.
Rather, in true cooperative spirit, the two utilities worked together to make it safer for their communities and employees. They solved a relatively small problem before it became a bigger one. Their partnership resulted in more efficient and reliable electricity for both Mid-Carolina Electric members and Dominion Energy customers.
As we begin 2022, utilities face tremendous challenges and opportunities just over the horizon. The growing electric vehicle market promises to increase the demand for power. Cooperatives across the state are racing to bring broadband internet service to rural communities. The way electricity is generated, consumed and stored is changing rapidly.
It’s nice to know that in South Carolina, we can count on collaboration among utilities to meet these challenges.