WheelersburgArea Improvements Project

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

The Wheelersburg Area Improvements project involves:

Building about 5 miles of 138-kilovolt (kV) power line
Rebuilding about 2 miles of 138-kV power line
Removing about 10 miles of transmission facilities
Installing two switch poles to control the direction of electricity flow throughout the lines
Replacing Wheelersburg Substation located on Earwood Lane with Sweetgum Substation located near OH-522 and Mill Road
Building Althea Substation located off Gallia Pike in Franklin Furnace

The project provides an additional power source to the area and enhances electric service reliability to customers. The additional power source allows crews to retire about 10 miles of deteriorating power line that dates back to 116. Company representatives plan to build Sweetgum Substation to replace the aging Wheelersburg Substation to allow for adequate space for the modern equipment needed to continue serving area customers. Adding switch poles to the area provides the ability to isolate equipment from the power grid, speeding recovery of service when an outage occurs.

Company representatives plan to evaluate study segments in the area. Study segments are multiple alternatives presented to determine a line route. Company representatives do not build all study segments, rather, they select one route to build based on public feedback and feasibility.

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

Project Updates

Althea – Sweetgum 138-kV Transmission Line Project: A Certificate Application was filed in January 2023. An amendment to the application was filed in May 2024 for OPSB approval.

Sadiq Switch – East Wheelersburg 138-kV Transmission Line Project: We expect to submit a Construction Notice for OPSB approval in spring 2024.

Sadiq Switch-Texas Eastern 138-kV Transmission Line Project: We expect to submit a Construction Notice for OPSB approval in spring 2024.

Sweetgum-Sadiq Switch 138-kV Line Rebuild: The final line route was announced in April 2023 and we expect to submit a Letter of Notification for OPSB approval in summer 2024.