Kentucky Power announces proposed route for transmission line project
Kentucky Power announced Monday a proposed transmission line route for its Enterprise Park Economic & Area Improvements Project in eastern Kentucky.
The project consists of building a new substation in the Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park in Pike County and approximately five miles of 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Floyd and Pike counties. Once Kentucky Power completes the project, it will retire the Fords Branch Substation on Old Shelbiana Road.
The Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park hosts Silver Liner, a truck manufacturer currently under construction, and EnerBlu, a storage battery manufacturer announced last year.
The proposed transmission line route travels northwest from the new substation through Pike County and into Floyd County where it runs parallel to the company’s existing 765 kV transmission line. The route then connects to an existing power line west of Keathley Branch Road. The new transmission line will be located in a 100-foot right-of-way.
Kentucky Power right-of-way agents, the company said, will begin reaching out to directly affected property owners to discuss acquiring easements, access roads, and construction activities.
“This is a complex project with an accelerated schedule,” Kentucky Power President Matt Satterwhite said. “As always, we’ll work with landowners every step of the way.”
Kentucky Power held an open house in May to gather input from landowners and community members, the company said.
“The open house gave us an opportunity to talk with landowners about the project,” Satterwhite said. “The information and feedback we received helped us develop a solution that we believe minimizes the effects to the community and environment, creates a catalyst for economic development and allows us to better serve our customers.”
Later this summer, Kentucky Power plans to file for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity with the Kentucky Public Service Commission. If approved, the company expects construction to start in the fall and be complete by mid-2019.
After the project is complete, Kentucky Power customers will pay four to six percent of the project costs. Residents of several states served by grid operator PJM will share the project expenses because of the shared benefits it will provide. Total cost estimates are not yet available.
