Decisions about power line route to be made next year

The high voltage power transmission line that American Electric Power (AEP) of Ohio is proposing to build that may cross through south Morgan County has received approval from PJM Interconnection. PJM is the region's largest power wholesaler, supplying power to 13 states and the District of Columbia.

The new 765 kilovolt transmission line will run 300

miles between the John Amos power plant in Kanawha

County, 20 miles west of Charleston, and Kemptown in Frederick County Maryland. The line will be mounted on 130 ft. towers placed in a 200 ft. right-of-way.

"The next step is to get approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission," said Melissa McHenry, AEP Manger of Corporate Media Relations.

According to McHenry, it will take at least a year before the exact route is determined.

McHenry said that an environmental impact study must be completed and property easements obtained. The cost of the project is $1.8 billion. AEP will recover the expense from PJM Interconnection customers (power companies) along the route.

"Regional transmission organizations such as PJM are building the transmission infrastructure America needs to maintain both the reliability and efficiency of the national power supply system," Phillip G. Harris, PJM president and chief executive officer said.

The Amos to Kemptown line will relieve overloads that will occur as early as 2012 on 13 existing transmission lines in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, the press release said.