WILMINGTON, N.C. - Duke Energy Progress has begun installing approximately 18,000 light-emitting diode (LED) street and area lights in the Wilmington area as part of a new initiative to modernize outdoor lighting across its service area.
The utility is replacing approximately 10,000 mercury vapor street and area lights in Wilmington with advanced LED fixtures as part of the utility's Lighting Modernization Program.
Crews will also replace around 8,000 high pressure sodium lights with LEDs, at the city's request, during the project.
Work in the area is expected to take 12-18 months to complete.
"We've heard from our customers that they want more energy-efficient outdoor lighting options and we want to be responsive," said Emily Henson, Duke Energy's director of Outdoor Lighting. "This initiative will bring advanced LED lighting to the Wilmington area and other communities that we serve. And it will provide positive environmental benefits as we move away from older, less-efficient technologies."
About 25 percent of outdoor lights on the Duke Energy Progress system use mercury vapor fixtures, identifiable by their cool, bluish light. Most of these fixtures were installed decades ago and are nearing the end of their useful life. In addition, advancements in lighting technology and increasingly stringent efficiency standards make mercury vapor lighting largely obsolete.
In developing its Lighting Modernization Program, Duke Energy Progress solicited feedback from large outdoor lighting customers, including municipalities. The utility also worked with the city of Wilmington to schedule work to minimize any inconveniences to citizens during the replacement project.
About Duke Energy Progress
Duke Energy Progress, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), provides electricity and related services to nearly 1.5 million customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. The utility is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and serves a territory encompassing more than 34,000 square miles including the cities of Raleigh, Wilmington and Asheville in North Carolina and Florence and Sumter in South Carolina. More information is available at www.duke-energy.com.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.