AEP Ohio considers modified route for transmission line project

GAHANNA, Ohio – - GAHANNA, Ohio – AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power, and the AEP Ohio Transmission Company are announcing the proposal of a third transmission line route for its previously announced Biers Run-Hopetown-Delano 138-kilovolt kV Transmission Line Project in Ross County.

After considering comments from the public and proactive meetings with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, AEP Ohio is supplementing its application to the Ohio Power Siting Board OPSB to propose a line route through the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Area. AEP Ohio filed its original application for this project with the siting board in January 2014.

AEP Ohio is hosting an informational workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. July 22 at Pioneer School of Developmental Disabilities, 11268 County Road 550, Chillicothe, Ohio, 45601. The company hosted an informational open house to share its original proposal with local residents in May 2013.

This workshop will allow Ross County and Union and Green township residents to offer input, ask questions and learn more about the new route proposal, as well as the entire Biers Run Project. Visitors may come and go at any time during the workshop.

The new Biers Run-Hopetown-Delano transmission line will extend from the new Biers Run Substation to the existing Delano Substation. The Biers Run-Hopetown-Delano line will be approximately 12 miles long, depending on the route selected and will be located entirely in Ross County. The line primarily will run through Union Township with a short section in Green Township.

The Biers Run-Hopetown-Delano Project is part of the overall Biers Run Project, which is a major transmission reinforcement effort to help AEP Ohio maintain transmission reliability in south central Ohio. Upgrades are needed in the Chillicothe and Circleville areas to address power plant retirements and issues identified by PJM Interconnection PJM, an independent regional transmission planning organization.

The Biers Run-Hopetown-Delano line investment will be approximately $17 million. This line will provide more than $500,000 in property tax annually for the community, as well as capacity for economic growth and enhanced reliability in the area.

Additional information about the project, including maps, is available online at AEPTransmission.com/Ohio/BiersRun-Hopetown-Delano/.

AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP Subsidiary Ohio Power Company in Ohio. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.