AEP Ohio representatives plan to upgrade the power grid in Pike, Jackson and Gallia counties. This project requires regulatory approval from the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). The OPSB process requires public engagement and outreach to residents in the project area. Several route options are being considered.
The project involves:
The proposed additions to the power grid are needed serve a data center campus planned for the site of the former gaseous diffusion plant in Piketon, Ohio. The customer is committed to paying for the transmission investments needed to serve the site to help avoid increases to transmission rates for Ohio residents.
Your community benefits from the project through tax revenues generated from construction, job creation, and an increase in future electric capacity. Additional electric capacity creates an opportunity for growth and community development in southern Ohio.
AEP Ohio representatives invite community members to join us from 5-7 p.m. at an upcoming public information meeting to learn more about the project, talk with team members about study segments* and share feedback. All three meetings offer the same information, so you may choose one to attend. There is no formal presentation, so you can arrive at any time during the events.
Date: Monday, May 11
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.
Location: Pike County Career Tech Center Cafeteria, 175 Beaver Creek Road, Piketon, OH 45661
Date: Wednesday, May 13
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.
Location: Jackson County OSU Extension Office Auditorium, 17 Standpipe Road, Jackson, OH 45640
Date: Thursday, May 14
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.
Location: Field of Hope Community Campus Gymnasium, 11821 OH-160, Vinton, OH 45686
Please share your input with us by Friday, May 29. We welcome and encourage your feedback about this project.
*Company representatives are evaluating several study segments to determine the best feasible route for the new transmission line. Once public feedback has been provided and a final route is selected, only the necessary segments are constructed. Appropriate studies, such as environmental and cultural resources, are completed prior to submitting a route corridor to OPSB for approval.
In order to construct the project, company representatives must obtain the approval of the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). Following the public input process, the AEP Ohio project team plans to prepare and submit an application to the OPSB. The application includes information on the proposed route for this project. The company plans to file the improvements as the Baku - Gavin 765 kV Transmission Line Project, Case No. 26-0426-EL-BTX this summer. AEP Ohio project team members plan to host another public information meeting before submitting the application with the OPSB this summer.
The OPSB is legally obligated to review the application and, if certain legal criteria are met, it may approve the project. OPSB approval is obtained through the issuance of a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need. For more information on the OPSB, its composition and the process it will follow in reviewing the application for the project, please visit opsb.ohio.gov. You can also contact OPSB staff via e-mail at ContactOPSB@puco.ohio.gov, by phone at 866-270-6772 or mailing correspondence to 180 East Broad Street, 11th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
The OPSB will schedule a separate public hearing on the project in the future. You may request notice of the public hearing using any of the communication methods mentioned earlier in this letter. You can file petitions to intervene in the OPSB process to the siting board up to 30 days following the public notice announcing the public hearing.
The project involves the use of steel lattice towers.
Pole Height: 155 feet*
Right-of-Way Width: 200 feet*
*Exact structure types, height and right-of-way requirements may vary
AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers.
Project Outreach Specialist
833-255-2043
piketonarea@aeptransmission.com
