West WatertownTransmission Improvements Project

AEP Ohio representatives plan to upgrade the electric transmission network serving customers in Washington County.

The West Watertown Transmission Improvements project involves:

• Building about 4 miles of 138-kilovolt (kV) power line
• Building about 6 miles of 69-kV power line
• Retiring about 9 miles of existing transmission facilities
• Building West Watertown Substation near Reed Road and OH-676

The project enhances electric service reliability to customers. The area currently receives power from a single source and improvements provide an additional source of electricity. Creating a looped service means if one of the power lines servicing the area experiences an outage, the other power line can continue to serve customers. This reduces power outages and speeds recovery of service when outages occur. The additional source also allows for the retirement of about 9 miles of deteriorating transmission facilities that date back to 1965. A stronger transmission grid benefits the local distribution companies and cooperatives, such as Washington Electric, who receive power from the transmission lines.

This project requires Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) approval.

Spring 2024: AEP representatives determined that filing a Letter of Notification (LON) with OPSB is more appropriate than the originally planned standard application. The LON applications require identifying only one route rather than the two route alternatives required under a standard application. The company anticipates submitting the applications to the OPSB in the near future.