The North Carolina Utilities Commission, citing national security reasons, is skipping steps in the hearing process to expedite a power line for a Benson factory expected to create up to 1,000 jobs.
Updated 8/31/2026, 10:28:59 PM
The North Carolina Utilities Commission on Monday cleared the way for faster construction of a transmission line in Johnston County — a move expected to help power a $920 million plant expected to employ up to 1,000 workers.
The 1.31-mile, 230-kilovolt line is expected to serve Vulcan Elements, a North Carolina-based maker of rare-earth magnets used in drones, submarines, aircraft, satellites, electric vehicles and other products. There’s currently not enough transmission service available at the site to meet the plant's needs, according to Vulcan. The line would go from Highway 301 to the factory on Morgan Road in Benson.
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Construction is expected to wrap up by the end of March.
“The criticality of this project cannot be understated,” Jake Bowles, Vulcan’s chief operating officer, told commissioners Monday.
To get the transmission line built faster, the commission waived the usual publication-of-notice and hearing requirements. State law allows regulators to waive those steps when an urgent need for electric service requires immediate construction.
Vulcan cited the federal Defense Production Act, which gives the federal government authority to prioritize materials and services needed for national defense, in seeking to meet its timeline. Regulators agreed that the expedited process was justified.
South River Electric Membership Corp., the electric cooperative building the line, estimates the project will cost about $7.25 million. Vulcan has agreed to cover the cost.
South River is now designing the line, securing the remaining right-of-way and easements and ordering equipment at the same time to meet the accelerated schedule.
“Since November, we've been working, trying to work a five-year project into an 18-month time frame,” David Keith, a South River vice president, told WRAL.
Commissioners said going through the standard process could jeopardize the date the line needs to be operating to support national defense objectives.
“Pretty soon, hopefully now that we have this [approval], we're going to start moving some dirt ourselves,” Keith said.
The urgency is tied to a broader federal push to increase U.S. production of rare-earth magnets and reduce reliance on Chinese suppliers. The federal government has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to Vulcan, and the company is on an accelerated production schedule as the U.S. tries to bolster its supply chain for rare-earth magnets
“This is about fully decoupling from China,” Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Budd told WRAL in November. “We've seen them constrain rare-earths, which are in everything from munitions that we use, our submarines, our airplanes, our military and civilian aircraft, all the way down to the chips in the phone that you're using.”
Commerce officials in November approved a performance-based incentives package for the company worth up to $25.2 million. Local officials also offered incentives worth up to $95 million, state officials said. The expansion is projected to grow the state’s economy by $2.6 billion.
As part of the state package, commerce officials approved a jobs grant worth up to $17.6 million. The state incentives would be paid out over 12 years in installments, provided the company hits hiring targets. The company plans to add the employees by the end of 2029, officials said. The average annual salary for the planned positions is expected to be about $81,900 — about 50% above the average annual wage for private sector jobs in Johnston County.