Four County Electric Membership Corporation joined forces with the NC Department of Environmental Quality on May 14 to start work on a $6.3 million electric grid resilience project in Magnolia. Old transmission lines from 1968 will come down. Steel structures designed to stand up to harsh weather will go up.
DEQ contributed $2.9 million to the co-op last year. This money came from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Resilience of the Electric Grid Formula Grants for States and Tribes. People living in Bladen, Duplin, Pender, Sampson, Columbus, Onslow, and Cumberland counties will pay less because of this funding.
“As Eastern NC faces more frequent and extreme weather, future-proofing the electric grid is critical,” said Julie Woosley, SEO Director, per a news release. “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.”…