Facilities Projects
Admin HVAC Upgrade (pictured above)
The second and third floors at the Main Office are now undergoing construction. The ceilings on the two floors have been removed and materials are awaiting installation. This project is a renovation of the HVAC system which has reached the end of service life. Two 32-ton HVAC units will be installed on the rooftop, with those units scheduled to be placed by the end of summer. The project includes the replacement of duct and electrical work as well as some carpet replacement and wallpaper removal. It is slated to be complete by March 2027 with an estimated $3.5 million cost.
Operations Renovation
Updates to the Engineering and Operations Building (EO) at the Operations Center will include relocating the training room to the EO Building and adding a fitness space. The break room within Systems Support will be enlarged and there will be increased work and storage areas for Facilities. Work on this project is expected to begin in October of 2026.
Electric
115kV Transmission Structure Replacement
Wooden poles that have reached the end of design life will be replaced with steel poles from the Eastern Bypass substation to the Pitt County Fairgrounds. This will harden the transmission system and increase electric reliability. This is the final phase of the structure replacements where GUC crews will replace the final 30 poles. Pole bids were released at the end of July.
Distribution Substation Transformer Replacements
A new transformer was delivered in July with installation anticipated by the end of this year. This unit, along with two additional ones, are being replaced as they have reached the end of their 50-year design life. By 2030, another six distribution substation transformers will have reached their design life.
Boviet Peak Shaving Generators and Substation
Boviet Solar’s anticipated expansion completion is slated for December of 2026. To fulfill the company’s energy needs, a new 60MW 115 to 12.47 kV substation will be built, and a 4 MW peak shaving generator will be installed. The clearing and grading of the new substation location was completed at the end of July, and a contractor has started installing the foundation. The 20MW transformer and transmission poles have also been delivered. The generator, anticipated to be delivered by December, will be owned and operated by GUC, and Boviet will receive the peaking credit.
Water Resources Projects
WTP Lab Renovation
For the first time since the current Water Treatment Plant began operations in 1983, the laboratory is undergoing its first major overhaul. The lab upgrade began in March of this year and is on target for completion by the end of the year.
Construction of the Operators’ new lab and office space was finished in June, with the lab staff moved in while the main lab is under renovation. Demolition of the old lab is complete, and now contractors are doing electrical work, painting, and installing the new lab equipment and ventilation systems.
Gas
Pipeline Survey
The annual leak and atmospheric corrosion survey has wrapped up. Contractors inspected about 1/3 of GUC’s natural gas system, looking for leaks and potential issues with meter sets and piping. This is part of a 3-year cycle of inspections required by the Federal government.
After inspecting more than 11,200 properties in both residential and commercial areas, and walking over 630 miles of pipeline, staff was able to identify more than 1,800 issues requiring maintenance at some point in the future. Those issues range from vegetation blocking meters to rust on piping, all the way up to leaks.
GUC crews have already completed more than 1,200 items of maintenance since the survey started this Spring.
