Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Valley North Transmission topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Appalachian Power lays out Valley North plan connecting Putnam County to Maryland
Summary
Appalachian Power described the Valley North transmission north segment—from Putnam County, W.Va., to Frederick County, Md.—as a 765 kV backbone element requiring stakeholder outreach in 2026 and later permitting; the company said routing and midpoint substation work will follow public engagement.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Cameron Ali, senior vice president of transmission, grid planning and engineering for American Electric Power, briefed the joint committee on the Valley North segment, which the company described as a multi‑state high‑voltage corridor intended to carry large amounts of power and support regional development.
Ali said the north segment begins in Putnam County, West Virginia, and runs into Frederick County, Maryland, with a midpoint substation roughly 130 miles along the line to help boost voltage. He explained that a 765 kV line has gross thermal capacity measured in thousands of megawatts and that the company will begin targeted stakeholder engagement (local officials, landowners and businesses) starting with open houses in 2026 and expects to identify a route in the fall.
On public impacts, Ali said the project will largely follow existing rights of way where possible and that pole replacements will shift to monosteel structures (fewer but taller poles), and that environmental and federal permits (including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army Corps) will be part of the regulatory process. He said the company aims to minimize community impacts and final construction would follow permitting and siting approvals.
