About Us

Clayton Public Power provides a premium level of service for customers by being "close to home."

In the event of a storm or other calamity, our linemen are nearby, ready to respond, and very knowledgeable about the system and how it operates. Our Town of Clayton customers won't have to wait several hours for an electrical issue to be addressed; we're already on-site and working hard to restore your power! Our Electric Department includes nine experienced linemen; the Department Director, an Electric Systems Supervisor; and seven Electric Line Technicians.

What does a lineman do?

A lineman is someone who constructs and maintains electric power transmission and distribution facilities. They keep your lights on! How are they trained? In addition to on-the-job training, the Town of Clayton is affiliated with ElectriCities of North Carolina, a not-for-profit association of fifty-one municipal electric providers across the State. ElectriCities offers more than 20 safety-related schools and workshops each year, which provide valuable life-saving skills for linemen. Our linemen also participate in a comprehensive Career Development Program, resulting in a Journeymen Certificate from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. This is a designation that is widely recognized throughout the industry and is reserved for someone who has proven to be a top performer in the field.

How Does Clayton Provide Power?

Clayton Public Power owns and operates its own electric distribution system for service to the majority of residential and business customers within the Town Limits. The Town of Clayton also owns a small percentage of the generating capacity in the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, as necessary to supply our customers with clean, reliable energy and cost-effective service.

Our History

Occasionally, we hear the question, "Why is the Town of Clayton in the electric business?" The simple answer is, to ensure that our customers have a reliable source of electricity for their homes and businesses. In the early 1900s, when the household use of electricity was becoming more established, the major power providers, Progress Energy and Duke Power, were concentrating on providing service to the larger metropolitan areas like Raleigh, Wilmington, Durham, and Charlotte. These major players had constructed transmission lines across country in order to supply power in these larger, more densely populated areas. Some of the smaller towns along these transmission routes negotiated with the major providers to purchase wholesale power from them, and they would construct their own electric distribution systems. This way, the municipalities could speed progress along by providing the much-desired electricity for their own citizens, and at the same time, generate a diverse revenue stream to support local services. Some of the towns in the immediate area who own and operate their own electric systems include the towns of Smithfield, Selma, Benson, Apex, Wake Forest, and of course, the Town of Clayton. The Town of Clayton's electric system was established in December 1913 with about 300 customers and has grown to just over 5,000 at the present time.

Want to read even more and see some great old photos? We have articles going back to 1915 (PDF)!

Our Commitment to the Community

It is important for us to give back to the same place we live and work. We have made it a point to sponsor baseball teams locally to encourage fun and good sportsmanship. Congratulations to our teams that work so hard and look so great!

A Little League baseball team sponsored by Public Power