Piketon Area Improvements Project: Baku-Adkins 765 kV Transmission Line

AEP Transmission representatives plan to upgrade the power grid in Pike, Ross and Pickaway counties. This project requires regulatory approval form the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). The OPSB process requires public engagement and outreach to residents in the project area.

The Baku-Adkins 765-kV Transmission Line Project involves building about 56 miles of 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission line between the proposed Baku Station in Pike County and the proposed Adkins Station in Pickaway County.

The project provides power to a data center campus in Piketon, located at the former gaseous diffusion plant. Multiple power sources are needed to ensure if one line experiences an outage, the grid can continue to operate. The customer is committed to paying for the transmission investments 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.

Company representatives are evaluating several study segments to determine the best feasible route for the new transmission line. Study segments are multiple alternatives presented to determine a line route. Not all segments are built. Once public feedback has been provided, one route corridor is identified and submitted to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). Appropriate studies, such as environmental and cultural resources, are completed prior to submittal.

Project Updates

Late 2026: We invite you to join us at a public informational meeting to learn more about the proposed transmission line, talk with team members about the study corridors and share your feedback. All meetings include the same information, so there is no need to attend more than one meeting. There is no formal presentation, and you may arrive at any time during the event.

Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Location: Pike County Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Building, 311 Mill Street, Piketon, OH 45661

Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Location: Ross County Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Building, 344 Fairgrounds Road, Chillicothe, OH 45601

Date: Thursday, December 3, 2026
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Location: Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center Grand Ballroom, 22300 State Park Road 20, Mt. Sterling, OH 43143

Next Steps

Company representatives plan to use the information collected during this process to develop a preferred route. Additional outreach and public meetings will be held once a preferred route has been identified. Company representatives are accepting feedback through Friday, December 18th.

Following that process, company representatives will submit an application to the OPSB showing that the preferred route balances stakeholder interests while enabling service to the customer.

Ohio Power Siting Board Certification Process

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 Transmission 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 with the OPSB as the Baku-Adkins 765 kV Transmission Line Project, Case No. 26-1060-EL-BTX in mid-2027.

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.