Posted by Heidi Schwartz
Duke Energy has selected five South Carolina properties for participation in its 2013 Site Readiness Program to prepare the property for potential industrial development.
They are:
- The CW Love Industrial Park, 200 acres of former farmland located in Marlboro County, S.C, southwest of McColl, four miles from the North Carolina state line.
- The Tech Foundation Park site, 143 acres of woodlands in Darlington County, S.C. Located in Palmetto, it is halfway between the cities of Darlington and Florence, close to I-95 and U.S. 52, and has a short line rail onsite.
- The Jeff Price Industrial Site in Dillon County, S.C., 170 acres of undeveloped land located between the city of Dillon and Little Rock. Unlike most undeveloped sites, this parcel already has access to electricity, gas, and telecommunications.
- The McLendon Young site, 215 acres of undeveloped land in Florence County, S.C. It is located 10 miles south of Florence, and fronts I-95 near the Honda manufacturing plant, making it an ideal location for an automotive supplier or manufacturing facility.
- The Howard B. Smith site in Marion County, S.C., a 250-acre piece of property strategically located north of the city of Marion, near U.S. 501 and I-95.
The Site Readiness Program is the cornerstone of Duke Energy’s economic development model. It identifies, evaluates and improves industrial sites in the company’s service territory to help communities served by the utility compete for new companies and jobs.
Duke Energy has hired McCallum Sweeney, a nationally known consulting firm, to conduct site studies. McCallum Sweeney Consulting has been instrumental in many high profile automotive and industrial relocations and expansions. The firm is based in Greenville.
Duke Energy will collaborate with county leaders and local economic development professionals to develop a strategy for providing water, sewer, natural gas and electricity to the sites.
The parties also will recommend road improvements, easements and rights-of-way that will be required to develop the sites, as well as steps necessary to mitigate any potential environmental impacts.
Duke Energy will present its findings – including a detailed report and conceptual drawings – to county officials when the studies are completed.
In North Carolina and South Carolina, 29 counties submitted 35 sites for Site Readiness Program consideration. A total of eight South Carolina sites were chosen by the utility.
After each site’s state of readiness has advanced, Duke Energy’s business development team will strategically market them nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their operations.
“Duke Energy is committed to advancing economic development in all of the counties we serve,” said Stu Heishman, Duke Energy’s vice president of economic development. “Our Site Readiness Program has assumed additional importance due to the weak economy and increasing competition among states and regions to attract new companies and jobs.”
