Blue Ridge Electric to Hold Community Meeting on New Substation

For Immediate Release

Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213; Pager: 1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener

Blowing Rock, North Carolina (July 20, 2007) – Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation is holding a community meeting for members wanting to learn more about a new substation needed to meet growing power demands of the Blowing Rock community.

The drop-in meeting will be held Tuesday, July 31, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., in the Hayes Performing Arts Center. Information will be shared on the proposed site for the new substation, how the proposed site was selected, power demand and reliability needs, and plans for landscaping and designing the new substation. Employees will be available to answer any other questions.

In order to continue meeting Blowing Rock’s increasing power demands, Blue Ridge Electric engineers have determined that construction of a new substation must be completed by approximately 2010 when the capacity of the existing substation on Possum Hollow Road will be exceeded. The existing substation is 54 years old, and, due to the growth of demand for electricity and the substation’s age, limited size and obsolescence, it must be replaced in order to continue to providing reliable power to the Blowing Rock community.

Blue Ridge Electric has an option to purchase the old Best Cellar Restaurant location for the new substation. This location was chosen after a long and thoughtful process. Factors that make it an ideal location for the new substation include its proximity to existing transmission and distribution lines, and the site’s terrain and accessibility. Blue Ridge officials also believe the proposed site offers the best opportunity to reduce visibility of the substation and to further enhance appearance by building underground service into and out of the substation.

“Planning for electric distribution and the infrastructure that goes with it is a complex process that must be conducted years in advance,” explained Renee Whitener, director of public relations for Blue Ridge Electric. “Our members, including individual households, businesses, schools and fire departments, depend on adequate power and reliable service. Blue Ridge Electric wants to ensure that our new substation is a good neighbor to the community of Blowing Rock while it meets Blowing Rock’s critical need for adequate, reliable electricity.”

Whitener added that the public is invited to drop in any time between 4 and 7 p.m. for the July 31st meeting.

If members cannot attend the meeting and would like to contact Blue Ridge Electric, please contact Grey Scheer
at (828) 264-8894, Ext. 3294, or via email at
gscheer@blueridgeemc.com.

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