Huntersville electric director warns substation capacity strained; new substation set for Q4 2026

The Town of Huntersville’s electric director told the Board that rapid residential and multifamily development has pushed distribution capacity close to its limits in parts of town and that staff is building a new substation to relieve load pressure.

David, the town’s electric system presenter, said Huntersville serves about 9,000 metered electric customers within the town’s service territory and noted the number of new residential projects expected in 2025 and 2026. He reported that projects planned or under construction in 2025 total roughly 1,132 residences and projects expected for 2026 total about 1,762 residences; together those two years could add nearly 2,900 new customer meters if all build out and connect.

System load and capacity: town documents provided at the meeting show delivery 1 currently has a contract capacity of 25,000 kilowatts and that the station exceeded that metric in a prior summer when staff briefly recorded a 25,387‑kilowatt peak. The presentation reported the town’s overall system peak was 59,735 kilowatts in fiscal 2024 and staff estimates a system peak of about 64,500 kW for FY25 and roughly 70,500 kW for FY26 if pipeline projects are energized.

New substation and schedule: staff described a planned distribution substation sized initially for roughly 9,000 kilowatts of new contract capacity (the transformer selected for that site could be uprated later to a 25,000‑kilowatt capability) and said the town has completed permitting and a formal bid process. David told the board the selected construction contract would be brought forward for award on the board’s February 4 meeting and that the earliest realistic in‑service date is Q4 2026 because of long delivery lead times for some critical substation equipment.

Why it matters: substation transformers can tolerate short overloads but not sustained operation above rated capacity; prolonged overheating damages transformers and raises the risk of failure. The presentation noted that a new substation, plus strategic reconfiguration and temporary tie‑ins, are the primary tools to avoid forced load drop‑off or emergency service limits.

Short‑term steps: staff said it has already shifted some load between delivery stations over the past two years to relieve immediate overload conditions and will continue to move circuits where feasible. David emphasized supply chain constraints for large substation components (one critical piece was quoted at 90–92 weeks lead time) and asked the board to approve the recommended construction contract so the town could place long‑lead equipment orders.

Ending: commissioners asked about backup ties between delivery zones and about the possibility of accelerating the project; staff said ties exist in limited ways but long‑lead times and the need for system reconfiguration make the Q4 2026 timeline realistic. The board was given a written recommendation to approve the substation award at the next meeting.