Northeast Oklahoma Transmission Enhancement Project

Representatives of AEP Oklahoma Transmission Company, Inc. (OK Transco) plan to expand the electric transmission system in northeast Oklahoma as part of a regional reliability effort. Construction begins in summer 2028 and concludes in late 2029.

Southwest Power Pool (SPP), the regional transmission operator (RTO) who oversees and monitors the power grid across 17 states, mandated this project as a regional effort to enhance grid reliability in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.

The improvements:

• Enhance electric service reliability and resiliency.
• Reduce the frequency and duration of power outages.
• Improve ability to deliver power during extreme weather events.
• Optimize operations and lower the cost to deliver power across the region.
• Improve the transmission of low-cost energy to eastern areas of the SPP footprint, including northeast Oklahoma.

Summer 2026: The Best Meets Route options for portions of the project area remain under active review as we incorporate input from landowners, agencies and community stakeholders. Ok Transco has met with tribal leaders to better understand tribal lands and identify areas of cultural and historical significance that may not be captured through standard routing analysis. This additional outreach helps support a thorough and informed route selection process. No route is final until it is submitted to the OCC for review.

We filed a route plan for the Buffalo Flats to Delaware segment (NEOTEP West) on June 19, 2026 as part of our application with the OCC. We anticipate filing the Delaware to Monet segment (NEOTEP East) with the OCC on or around July 28, 2026. This date is subject to change, and notices will be published through local news outlets within 30 days of filing.

Once a final route is identified, the public will have an opportunity to review and meet with project staff at open house meetings planned for September 2026. More information will be sent to landowners once everything is finalized.

We remain committed to a transparent process and will continue to share updates as the project progresses.

Spring 2026: The project is now divided into East and West segments after OK Transco decided to file them separately with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC). NEOTEP East includes 68 miles of new 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from the Delaware Substation to the Oklahoma-Missouri border. NEOTEP West includes approximately 34 miles of new 345-kV transmission line from the Delaware Substation to the Oklahoma-Kansas border. The project team has hosted in-person and virtual open houses to share preliminary route options and gather community feedback year to date. The project team is using that input, along with environmental and land-use considerations, to identify a proposed route. The team expects to select a preferred route for both segments by summer 2026. OK Transco plans to file the preferred route for both segments with the OCC in midsummer. The project team also plans to host a second round of open houses in the affected counties in early fall 2026, following additional notifications with updates on route selection and filing dates.

For additional project details and responses to frequently asked questions, please review the FAQ document now available.