North Carolina HB 814: Power Infrastructure Resiliency and Efficiency (PIRE).

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 814

Short Title: Power Infrastructure Resiliency & Eff.(PIRE). (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives K. Hall, Zenger, Gable, and T. Brown (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Energy and Public Utilities, if favorable, Commerce and Economic Development,
if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 8, 2025
*H814-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT PROMOTING THE USE OF ADVANCED CONDUCTORS AND GRID 2
ENHANCING TECHNOLOGIES. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. G.S. 62-2 reads as rewritten: 5
"§ 62-2. Declaration of policy. 6
(a) Upon investigation, it has been determined that the rates, services and operations of 7
public utilities as defined herein, are affected with the public interest and that the availability of 8
an adequate and reliable supply of electric power and natural gas to the people, economy and 9
government of North Carolina is a matter of public policy. It is hereby declared to be the policy 10
of the State of North Carolina: 11
... 12
(11) To promote, to the maximum extent practicable, the deployment of advanced 13
conductors and grid enhancing technologies to transport the regulated public 14
utilities' electric energy supply in the most efficient means practicable. To that 15
end, to require transmission planning to be coordinated with energy planning 16
and the fixing of rates in a manner to result in the least cost mix of generation 17
and transmission capital expenditure that is achievable. 18
...." 19
SECTION 2. G.S. 62-100 reads as rewritten: 20
"Article 5A. 21
"Siting of Transmission Lines. 22
"§ 62-100. Definitions. 23
As used in this Article: 24
(1) The term "begin to construct" includes Advanced conductors. – Any 25
conductor that has a direct current electrical resistance at least ten percent 26
(10%) lower than aluminum conductor steel reinforced lines of a similar 27
diameter. 28
(1a) Begin to construct. – Includes any clearing of land, excavation, or other action 29
that would adversely affect the natural environment of the route of a 30
transmission line; but that term does not include land surveys, boring to 31
ascertain geological conditions, or similar preliminary work undertaken to 32
determine the suitability of proposed routes for a transmission line that results 33
in temporary changes to the land. 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 814-First Edition
(2) The word "county" means any County. – Any one of the counties listed in 1
G.S. 153A-10. 2
(2a) Grid enhancing technology. – Any hardware or software technology that 3
enhances the performance or improves the efficiency of a transmission 4
system. Includes energy storage as a transmission asset, dynamic line ratings, 5
advanced power flow control technology, topology optimization, and flexible 6
alternating current transmission systems. 7
(3) The word "land" means any Land. – Any real estate or any estate or interest 8
in real estate, including water and riparian rights, regardless of the use to 9
which it is devoted. 10
(4) The word "lines" means distribution Lines. – Distribution lines and 11
transmission lines collectively. 12
(5) The word "municipality" means any Municipality. – Any incorporated 13
community, whether designated as a city, town, or village and any area over 14
which it exercises any of the powers granted by Chapter 160D of the General 15
Statutes. 16
(6) The term "public utility" means any Public utility. – Any of the following: 17
a. A public utility, as defined in G.S. 62-3(23). 18
b. An electric membership corporation. 19
c. A joint municipal power agency. 20
d. A city or county that is engaged in producing, generating, transmitting, 21
delivering, or furnishing electricity for private or public use. 22
(7) The term "transmission line" means an Transmission line. – An electric line 23
designed with a capacity of at least 161 kilovolts." 24
SECTION 3. G.S. 62-101 reads as rewritten: 25
"§ 62-101. Certificate to construct transmission line. 26
... 27
(c) A certificate is not required for construction of any of the following lines: 28
(1) A line designed to carry less than 161 kilovolts;kilovolts. 29
(2) The replacement or expansion of an existing line with a similar line in 30
substantially the same location, or the rebuilding, upgrading, modifying, 31
modernizing, or reconstructing of an existing line for the purpose of increasing 32
capacity by no greater than seventy-five percent (75%) of the existing lines or 33
widening an existing right-of-way;right-of-way. 34
(2a) The upgrading, modifying, modernizing, or reconstructing of an existing line 35
for the purpose of increasing capacity solely through the deployment of 36
advanced conductors and/or grid enhancing technologies for any of the 37
following purposes: 38
a. Increasing transmission capacity. 39
b. Increasing transmissio