WYTHEVILLE, Va., May 8, 2006 – American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) dedicated its $306 million Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission project, the largest electric transmission infrastructure project currently underway in the United States, today at a ceremony attended by federal and state officials and other dignitaries.
The new transmission line helps ensure an adequate supply of electricity can reach this region to meet growing energy demands. The line also enhances the overall reliability of the transmission grid.
“Completion of the Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry line is a tremendous accomplishment for the electric utility industry, AEP and its customers,” said Michael G. Morris, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. “This project illustrates that transmission lines can be constructed in ways that strike a balance between the environment and the nation’s growing need for electricity.”
More than 350 guests attended the dedication ceremony, which featured remarks from Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, who is chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Joseph Kelliher.
"Developing new energy infrastructure is a national priority, and new power lines like this one are a critical component of that,” Kelliher told the audience. “American Electric Power´s persistence in this endeavor will benefit electricity consumers and strengthen the reliability of the bulk power system.
"This transmission project has had a long history. Thankfully, Congress has provided the Department of Energy, FERC and the states with new tools to help speed the development of critical energy infrastructure projects like this one. A reliable supply of electricity is essential to our nation´s economy and our way of life."
The 90-mile Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry line uses a number of innovative technologies, including the first 765-kV six-bundle conductor configuration in North America. This cutting-edge technology reduces the audible noise level of the project to approximately half that of earlier lines.
When AEP energizes the Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry project in June it will bring to a close a 16-year permitting and construction project and plugs what many in the industry have termed as one of the biggest holes in the nation’s electric transmission grid. AEP last reinforced the transmission grid serving its Virginia and West Virginia customers in 1973, when the electricity demand in the area was 2,720 megawatts. In the winter of 2005-2006, demand topped 7,108 megawatts, 161 percent greater than the 1973 load.
The Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry project connects stations in Wyoming County, W.Va. and Jacksons Ferry, Va., and will increase AEP’s 765 kV network to 2,100 miles, more than all other U.S. electric utilities combined. AEP pioneered 765 kV electric transmission in the early 1960s and put the first 765 kV line in service in 1969. Transmitting electricity at higher voltages is extremely efficient. Once the new line is energized it will reduce transmission line losses by approximately 65 megawatts. The new line is rated at more than 3,000 megawatts.
An additional benefit of 765 kV transmission is that it requires less land for rights of way than would be used for the number of lower-voltage transmission lines necessary to carry the same amount of electricity. One 765-kV transmission line on a 200-foot wide right of way can transmit electricity equivalent to the capacity of 15 138-kV double circuit transmission lines that would need 1,500 feet of right of way.
Many technologies used on the Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry project are applicable to AEP’s new I-765 project. Announced Jan. 31, the proposed 765 kV transmission line will connect stations in West Virginia and New Jersey. The $3 billion project is scheduled to be in operation by 2014.
More information about the Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry project, including construction photos, maps and videos, is available at www.AppalachianPower.com/go/765dedication.
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2006.