On Wednesday, Duke Energy installed a new mobile substation to replace the New Salem substation lost in Swannanoa. Much of the local electricity transmission infrastructure washed away or was underwater. The new substation will function for three to four months, allowing the utility to reconnect 4,900 customers in the area.
About 570,000 customers are still without power in the Carolinas, with 247,000 in North Carolina. Bill Norton, Duke’s principal communications manager, said they’re still on track to connect about 90% of reachable customers by Friday, but that number excludes those whose homes are too damaged or inaccessible.
Norton said that customers struggling to pay their utility bills should call Duke’s customer service line at 800-777-9898 for residential service, and 800-653-5307 for businesses, or go to duke-energy.com/assistance. He said the utility will not disconnect customers during storm restoration. Norton said a date had not yet been given on when utility bill payments would return to normal.