PATH announces change to transmission line completion date

The Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), a 765-kilovolt line extending from southwestern West Virginia to central Maryland, now has a June 2014 completion deadline. The one-year schedule change results from a recent reliability analysis by PJM Interconnection (PJM) that considered various factors, including its 2009 load forecast.

PJM, the regional grid operator directing the construction of PATH, has confirmed that the project remains critical to addressing regional reliability concerns. PJMÂ’s latest update of its reliability analysis confirms that significant overloads and voltage problems will occur in the region, beginning in 2014, if the PATH project is not completed.

The PATH project team expects to file applications for approval to build the line with the West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia regulatory commissions in the second quarter. Timely approvals by the state commissions are needed to meet the new deadline established by PJM.