Can Duke Power deny service to your property?

[ruc]

I have applied for new service to a storage building that I have built on my property. There is no existing electrical service on the property.
They told me that for them to provide service I have to give them a perpetual easement to my property. They said this is for maintenance purposes. I asked what maintenance is there on underground wire?
I read the easement and it pretty much gives them the right to come on my property any time they want for any reason. A perpetual easement stays with the land and never goes away. I told them that I was not comfortable doing that. I offered to give them written permission allowing them to do any maintenance they needed to do. They just needed to call me and let me know. After a pretty long conversation where I stated all my concerns she said "no easement, no power"
What can I do? Do I have any legal remedies?

 

[ajkroy]

What state is this?

 

[ruc]

South Carolina

 

[Zigner]

You should consider having the storage building be "off the grid"

 

[FlyingRon]

You want power, you agree to the easement. You're not fighting that. You betcha there's maintenance for underground cables (been there, done that), they don't last forever. In addition, there's going to likely be other equipment (transformers) that are necessary if you are sufficiently far away from a nearby one.

 

[ruc]

Ohh you will love this....That was my thought also, so I called solar companies. They informed me that they cannot do it. In SC it is against the law to install solar unless you are connected to a power company. I guess the power companies lobbies have been able to get a law passed that will not allow people to go off grid. I couldn't believe it when they told me that. I didn't believe it so I called others and they all told me the same thing.

 

[Just Blue]

Get a generator.

 

[FlyingRon]

Off-grid solar is NOT illegal in South Carolina. The parasite solar industry is not willing to do so because they're not selling you solar energy, they're mining various credits and incentives that they don't get if you're not in a grid-tied system. What a non-grid-tied system isn't legal for is providing the main source of energy for a domicile.

 

[LdiJ]

I have applied for new service to a storage building that I have built on my property. There is no existing electrical service on the property.
They told me that for them to provide service I have to give them a perpetual easement to my property. They said this is for maintenance purposes. I asked what maintenance is there on underground wire?
I read the easement and it pretty much gives them the right to come on my property any time they want for any reason. A perpetual easement stays with the land and never goes away. I told them that I was not comfortable doing that. I offered to give them written permission allowing them to do any maintenance they needed to do. They just needed to call me and let me know. After a pretty long conversation where I stated all my concerns she said "no easement, no power"
What can I do? Do I have any legal remedies?

Just so that you are aware, utility easements such as they are asking for are totally and completely standard. Every person who has utilities coming onto their property gives the same kind of easement that you are being asked to give. No, you have no legal remedies at all. If you want to set your property up with some other kind of electrical power (wind, solar) you have that option, but it would be pretty expensive.

 

[HighwayMan]

I read the easement and it pretty much gives them the right to come on my property any time they want for any reason.

Seriously, what do you think they'd be doing when they come onto your property? Having a barbecue?

 

[FarmerJ]

If there is a electric company pole or green box for underground service along the public road / county road/ township road that your property is on have you explored what the cost would be to run customer owned line from your building out to that green box so that way the electric utility will have NOTHING to maintain ( since you might be able to have the electric utilities meter out there too right next to that pole or green box so if the meter must be serviced / replaced it can be done right with in the easement they already have ? ( Ive seen that kind of set up at several properties , one place is one of the group homes Ive worked in and the other is a home about 1/2 mile from me)

 

[ruc]

If there is a electric company pole or green box for underground service along the public road / county road/ township road that your property is on have you explored what the cost would be to run customer owned line from your building out to that green box so that way the electric utility will have NOTHING to maintain ( since you might be able to have the electric utilities meter out there too right next to that pole or green box so if the meter must be serviced / replaced it can be done right with in the easement they already have ? ( Ive seen that kind of set up at several properties , one place is one of the group homes Ive worked in and the other is a home about 1/2 mile from me)

@FarmerJ Yes there is a pols on the road right in front of my property. I tried that. I asked them to set the green box next to the pole at the road and I would pay to run the wire to the building. The building is 300 feet off the road, so not a great distance. They would not do it.

 

[justalayman]

You need to set a “farm service” near the road. That is simple a stand with the meter and a disconnect (often includes an electrical panel. The service lateral to that stand is all the power company would be responsible to maintain. You run your own power to wherever you want after the service.

 

[LdiJ]

You need to set a “farm service” near the road. That is simple a stand with the meter and a disconnect (often includes an electrical panel. The service lateral to that stand is all the power company would be responsible to maintain. You run your own power to wherever you want after the service.

Just bear in mind, that if you do something like that all maintenance from that farm service to your building will be your responsibility. That could get expensive down the road. I personally would rather have the easement.

 

[justalayman]

Just bear in mind, that if you do something like that all maintenance from that farm service to your building will be your responsibility. That could get expensive down the road. I personally would rather have the easement.

I would too but op is adverse to an easement. This remedies the issue.

Op needs to understand that most power companies also install underground service laterals at a discounted price. An owner of the property will spend considerably more to run from the pole to the building than what the power company will charge.