CHARLESTON, W. Va., Oct. 24, 2024 - Appalachian Power representatives are reviewing alternative solutions to rebuild 20 miles of transmission line as part of the Bancroft – Milton Transmission Line Rebuild Project in Cabell and Putnam counties.
The project team hosted two open houses in August to introduce proposed electrical upgrades and received extensive feedback from the community.
“Public involvement is a critical part of our line routing process. This process allowed our project team members to hear directly from landowners and community members about their specific concerns about their properties and the Meeks Mountain Trails,” said George Porter, Appalachian Power spokesperson.
The project team continues to review input on all route options presented in August and develop new or modified line route options that avoid Meeks Mountain Trails. The line routing process requires a thorough review of several criteria, including community feedback, to develop viable solutions to meet the electrical need and mitigate community and landowner concerns. Electrical upgrades in this area, including rebuilding 20 miles of the Bancroft – Milton transmission line and building a new substation in Hurricane, are critical to maintaining electric reliability in these rapidly growing communities. Before the project team can present the modified route options to the public, additional field studies and due diligence are needed to ensure options are viable and reflect the community’s feedback.
The project team plans to host additional open houses in spring 2025 to collect input on the modified route options for the transmission line. Landowners along the modified route options and existing transmission line route can expect to receive more information about the open houses once the dates are confirmed. Community members who attended the previous open houses and provided an address to the project team can also expect to receive notification of the open houses.
“We appreciate the community's patience through this process.” said Aaron Walker, Appalachian Power President & COO.” The Teays Valley area and surrounding communities have seen tremendous growth in recent years, and this project is necessary to deliver reliable power to our customers. We look forward to taking additional route options to the community, gathering more feedback, and finding the electrical solution that fits this community.”
Company representatives plan to file an application with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia Fall 2025. If the project is approved, construction is expected to begin in Summer 2028 and conclude by Spring 2031. For more information, visit AppalachianPower.com/Bancroft-Milton.
Appalachian Power has 1.1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 16,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 5,900 megawatts of renewable energy.