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May 26, 2023

Damaged CCEC insulator causes power outages

Linemen Jeremy Hart and Cameron Fulford repair a broken cross arm Dec. 23 in

Linemen Jeremy Hart and Cameron Fulford repair a broken cross arm Dec. 23 in Newport. {Photo by Carteret-Craven Electric Co-op)

PINE KNOLL SHORES - Damages to Carteret-Craven Electric Co-op's (CCEC) infrastructure left many in Carteret County without power on New Year's Eve.

According to the CCECs Communications Director Melissa Glenn, general wear and tear from the elements caused the failure of an insulator on their transmission line in Pine Knoll Shores.

Those affected by the outage were part of the co-op's Morehead City substation. Repair efforts were complicated due to the high-rise nature of the transmission lines.

"The saltwater is really hard on the equipment over on the beach," Glenn said. "The insulators don't break that often, but when they do, it's a big repair to make. The timing was just bad luck."

The next day, a brief five-minute outage was experienced due to further maintenance being needed from the previous-day's repair.

Approximately a week earlier on Dec. 23, hundreds of people were without power in Emerald Isle, Morehead City, Newport and surrounding areas as high winds and frigid temperatures knocked out electricity to customers.

On Dec. 24, a broken power pole on Harkers Island Road near Otway impacted 2,300 co-op members in the area. Crews worked for eight hours to restore power before the Christmas holiday.

Complicating matters on Christmas Eve was an intentional, controlled power outage initiated by Duke Energy.

The measures were taken to protect the larger grid against widespread outages caused by increased electricity usage during the cold snap.

In a Facebook message posted Dec. 24 by CCEC, the company thanked its users for being patient and conserving electricity.

"We appreciate the actions that our members are taking - like lowering the thermostat setting, turning off unneeded lights and delaying use of electricity when possible - to reduce demand for electricity," the post read. "Your actions are making a difference, and we thank you for your partnership and understanding on this holiday weekend as utilities work together in response to extreme cold weather."

"Complicating matters on Christmas Eve was an intentional, controlled power outage initiated by Duke Energy"….aka Rolling Blackouts. Blame it on the weather all you want but prepare yourselves North Carolina. This will become "the new normal". NC is the 10th largest state and growing. Our illustrious Conservative Inc.™️ RINO establishment in the NCGA and Congress sold us out long ago. NC will become East California. We should expect the same "controlled" power outages in the future especially after Con Inc. ™️ sold us out in HB951.

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