Appalachian Power To Upgrade Power Grid In Dickenson County To Improve Local Electric Service

Appalachian Power plans to improve its existing transmission line in northern Dickenson County, Va. to ensure continued reliable electric service to customers. The Haysi Transmission Line Rebuild Project is a $15M investment that will replace aging infrastructure and rebuild about 7 miles of 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line.

The project will provide the area with a robust power delivery system capable of handling the region’s growing energy needs.  

 “The company’s priority is to provide customers with reliable and affordable electric service,” said Mary Begley, external affairs manager for Appalachian Power. “Rebuilding this line with sturdier, modern technology allows us to proactively put our transmission system in the best position to reduce the likelihood of extended power outages.”

The transmission line rebuild starts at the ridge of Pine Mountain just south of the Kentucky-Virginia border. The line travels through the Jefferson National Forest for about a mile before ending at a structure near Providence Drive north of Clinchco, Va.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2018 and be completed by mid-2019. Most of the work will take place within or adjacent to existing right-of-way easements. Emerald Energy & Exploration, the company’s right-of-way vendor on this project, will contact affected landowners in the coming weeks about upcoming project activities.

The project will bring Dickenson County additional estimated annual tax revenue of about $65,000.

Information about the project, including a virtual informational open house, can be found at www.appalachianpower.com/haysi

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4million customers in 11 states. AEP owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP also operates 224,000 miles of distribution lines. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning approximately 26,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP supplies 3,200 megawatts of renewable energy to customers.