Burke County, North Carolina powers successful businesses in many ways, but one of the most important for your budget and your growth plans is access to affordable and abundant utilities. Learn more about all of our utility providers and the programs they offer businesses in the links.
MORE WATER THAN YOU’LL EVER NEED
Our resource-rich communities have enough fresh water to satisfy the most demanding industries. Morganton and Valdese together have more than 14 million gallons per day (MGD) of excess capacity, and additional water is available through Burke, Hickory, Drexel, and other local sources. Our communities can accommodate plenty of wastewater as well with Morganton’s excess capacity of 9.2 MGD and Valdese’s excess capacity of 5 MGD.
SURPRISINGLY AFFORDABLE ELECTRIC POWER
Burke County has several providers of electricity, and the two things they have in common are low rates and a focus on meeting the needs of local companies, including those needing redundant feeds. Duke Energy, rated by Edison Institute as America’s number one electric utility, offers some of the lowest industrial rates in the Southeast and brings customized cost-saving solutions to its business customers.
Many of our rural communities are served by the Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation (REMC), a non-profit electric cooperative whose commercial and industrial rates are 14 percent lower than the national average. Customers in Morganton and Drexel are served by public utilities (through ElectriCities) that take particular pride in serving the needs of the business community.
HIGH VOLUMES OF GAS AND DATA
Businesses with hefty appetites for natural gas benefit from Piedmont Natural Gas Company’s major pipeline through the I-40 corridor. And if you need a different kind of pipeline — one capable of handling massive quantities of data — you’ll appreciate the robust fiber network and multiple broadband providers serving our county’s companies.