Some residents of a new subdivision off Jones Dairy Road in Rolesville report frequent power outages, leaving homes without heat and causing work disruptions, despite expectations of modern utilities and reliable service in the newly built community.
Neighbors describe a grab bag of blackouts, from quick flickers that reset clocks to outages that last for hours. Donald Ekanem, who moved into the community at the start of the year, told reporters he lost power twice in three weeks, including one outage that stretched more than five hours, and said he is worried this is becoming a pattern rather than a fluke. Other residents, including Brian Green, told reporters they are seeing outages about once a month and that the blackouts have disrupted jobs, traffic signals and basic routines, as reported by ABC11.
Duke Energy confirmed three outages in the Rolesville area year to date and told ABC11 that one of the most recent, on a Tuesday, was tied to an equipment failure that hit about 3,500 customers, with an estimated 400 customers left without power for as long as 18 hours. "One of our underground lines had an issue, and we had to go in and do a lot more extensive work to make that repair," spokesperson Jeff Brooks said, adding that crews are putting in upgrades and new energy pathways so power can be rerouted during future outages.
Duke Energy says it's upgrading the grid
Duke Energy says the spate of outages reflects the one-two punch of winter weather and rapid regional growth. The company points to a multi-year grid improvement program that includes capacity upgrades, underground work and automation aimed at speeding restoration. It has publicly highlighted the use of "self-healing" technology and targeted investments intended to cut outage hours and improve rerouting options when lines fail, according to Duke Energy.
Not an isolated problem
This winter's problems are not the first big hits to Rolesville's power supply. On Jan. 22, 2026, Duke Energy's outage map showed nearly 3,000 customers without electricity in town, according to WRAL. And in May 2025, a snake that came into contact with substation equipment cut service to roughly 7,000 Rolesville customers, a reminder that animals, equipment failures and weather can each take a toll on the system, as reported by WRAL.
Town and neighbors press for answers
The Town of Rolesville has posted updates linking to Duke Energy's outage map and acknowledging the disruption while crews worked to restore power, according to Town of Rolesville. Neighbors say they plan to keep pushing for clearer timelines and want the utility to spell out when capacity upgrades for their area will actually be finished, as reported by Town of Rolesville.
For now, Duke Energy says its long-term investments are intended to shore up capacity and resiliency as the Triangle continues to grow. Residents, however, say they want to see quicker short-term fixes and more transparent restoration information. Customers can report outages and check estimated restoration times on the company's online outage map at Duke Energy.
