Appalachian Power announces plans for transmission upgrades in Raleigh County, West Virginia

Appalachian Power announced Tuesday plans to build two miles of 138-kilovolt transmission line and a substation to improve electric service reliability for customers in Raleigh County, West Virginia.

Appalachian Power and AEP West Virginia Transmission Company Inc. will host an open house next month to seek public input on the proposed project, an investment valued at approximately $12 million.

“The Beckley area has experienced significant economic growth in recent years,” Phil Moye, Appalachian Power spokesperson, said. “The work we are proposing addresses the area’s growing electric needs while reinforcing our existing system and reducing the likelihood of customer outages.”

Appalachian Power has developed study segments for the power line route. The study segments begin at the proposed substation site at west of Beckley, exit the substation to the west and continue for approximately two miles before connecting to an existing transmission line.

The company will need to obtain an approximately 100-foot-wide right-of-way before beginning construction on the project. After a route is selected, the company will notify directly-involved landowners and inform them of next steps.

Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2019 and be complete by the end of 2020.