ROANOKE, Va., March 6, 2008 – Summer peak electric demands in 2007 that exceeded forecasts combined with steady increases in electric demand have exposed problems in the electric transmission system in the Roanoke Valley. In the coming weeks Appalachian Power will announce three electrical upgrades worth $62 million to the 138 kilovolt (kV) system aimed at preventing overloads and ensuring the Roanoke Valley’s infrastructure is in compliance with national electric reliability standards. The upgrades will involve construction of new transmission lines and a new substation.

Currently bulk electricity comes into the Roanoke Valley at two points, the Cloverdale Substation to the northeast and the Matt Funk Substation (near Dixie Caverns) to the southwest. Six 138 kV transmission lines move electricity to substations around the community where it is further stepped down in voltage for consumers. Most residential and commercial consumers take power at 120/240 volts.

Two of the projects are transmission driven and are designed to eliminate double contingency outage scenarios that could occur in the Roanoke Valley as early as 2010. The other project is distribution driven and alleviates loading concerns in an area of urban Roanoke that hasn’t seen reinforcement in nearly 40 years.

  “Appalachian Power will introduce each of these projects to the community individually, then take extensive comments on the proposals from the public before seeking approval to construct any of these facilities,” said Terry Hall, external affairs manager.

Currently Appalachian Power engineers and routing consultants are working to identify electrical needs and routing constraints. The company will define preliminary proposed corridors then present them for comment before identifying a preferred line route.

Each of the company’s proposed projects will be reviewed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Currently the Virginia SCC is reviewing the company’s 138 kV Lake Forest project request, a line that reinforces the electric delivery system in parts of Botetourt, Bedford and Roanoke counties. 

Customers can find more information about the electric transmission system at www.AppalachianPower.com.

Appalachian Power has about 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, which delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 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. 
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Editor’s note:
Maps showing the current infrastructure and critical facilities, as well as examples of construction and illustrations showing the role of 138 kV facilities in the electrical system can be found at http://www.appalachianpower.com/news/transmissionProjects/abouttransmission.asp

Also see our map of current Roanoke transmission facilities.